You'll Never Take Our Humanity
by TracyCook
Summary: Damon and Bonnie were best friends in high school and they always wanted something more, when Damon is 18 he leaves for the military and when he comes back he is surprised to find that she has moved on and has a kid now. Elijah is married to Hayley and working for a big company, Original Corp. Read more. Warning : dark fic with blood, gore, sex, etc. Bamon and Haylijah fic.
1. Chapter 1

**You'll Never Take Our Humanity**

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Bonnie x Damon, Hayley x Elijah

Warnings : There will be mentions of death, morbidity, graphic sex, alcohol, war, violence, suicide, etc. Do not read if these things bother you. This will be a very dark story. There will be vampires in this fic, but it is AU.

Rating: M

**Chapter One**

**_'Oh, How I've Wronged You My Love.'_**

His jaw was clenched tightly as he watched the scenery pass by through the window of the train. With each mile he was getting closer and closer to the life that he had left behind. To the ones he loved that he had run from. Blue eyes were fixated on the city that they were passing and his heart was hammering loudly in his ears.

He was nearly home.

He hadn't been back home in five years.

Shortly after turning eighteen years old he had enlisted in the military. He had wanted to live up to the expectations that he put on himself, he had wanted to make his father proud. Even though his father was no longer alive to see him succeed and follow in his footsteps, he knew that he was looking down on him and feeling proud that he was doing good by his country.

_'That's more than Stefan can say...' _His younger brother had opted out of the military and decided to follow his true passion and attend school. It wasn't that he didn't believe school was worthwhile, he just didn't see a purpose in attending school if they would all be dead in a matter of years. At the rate that the war was going, he didn't see much hope for them. He didn't see a future for them.

Still, he couldn't say that he was proud of himself.

Damon Salvatore had sacrificed everything he loved in order to follow in his father's footsteps. He had abandoned the woman that he loved more than anything in the world and he had never spoken to her again after he left.

The battlefield had taken away most of the humanity that he had prior to his arrival on the base. He had grown accustomed to watching children die, to watching innocent people be tortured and raped. He had witnessed horribly gruesome things and he could never erase them. But, worse than this, he could never erase the horrible things that he had done. The people he had murdered. The soldiers liked to hide behind the fact that they were doing so for their country, but he knew that it was still wrong.

They had killed more innocent people than malicious.

He had helped kill hundreds of families. Hundreds of children who were pure of hatred and war. They had full lives ahead of them and he had taken that away from them. He had taken away their chance to love, their chance to experience education, their chance to do anything.

He hated himself.

The things that he had done disgusted him.

His mind returned to the woman that he had left behind. The woman that he was about to see and talk to for the first time in five years. He had fought and killed hundreds of people, he had dodged bullets and grenades, and nothing scared him as much as seeing her beautiful face again. Nothing scared him as much as facing his regrets.

Would she hate him? Would she see the darkness that now corroded his soul? Would she welcome him with open arms? Would she slam the door in his face?

These were the questions that were racing through Damon's mind.

_'Bonnie will hate who I have become...' _He thought, internally berating himself for all of the mistakes that he had made. _'She always hated when I talked about joining the military... And there is a reason she didn't show up that night...' _His stomach tangled in knots when he thought back to the dreadful night. It was the night that changed his life. The night he knew he had made the wrong decision, and he made it anyway. He had a knack for doing that.

"Which Precinct are you headed to?"

An accented voice asked from behind him and Damon's ears perked up. He didn't know for certain if the man was talking to him, so he turned to look.

Standing on the other side of the train was a man wearing a suit. He was standing up tall and had proper posture. He was wearing a hat that matched the suit he had on and he was holding on to one of the rails in order to keep his balance as the train sped on. _ 'Who is this guy and why the heck is he talking to me? He looks like he's straight out of Original Corp.'__  
_

Original Corp was one of the largest corporations in the world. They had buildings in every Precinct in the country and they even had some buildings across the seas. No one quite understood what they did, but they knew that whatever it was, was very important. They controlled everything electronic in the world and they all walked around sporting similar suits as the man standing before him.

His eyes weren't empty like the other employees though. They held something rare to see in an Original employee, and that was sincerity.

This was the only reason that Damon answered his question.

"Precinct Three."

"Me too." The mysterious man informed with a small and genuine smile. He too was examining the man standing before him. He had dark hair and his eyes told stories. Stories that no man's eyes should ever tell. Stories of war, stories of death and anguish, stories that would horrify any normal human being. This man wasn't normal though. He was a soldier in the military. That much was obvious from the black uniform that he wore and the gun he was carrying on his hip. But, there was so much more to him that told the business man he was a victim of war. "Are you on leave from the military?" He wondered.

Damon raised his brows and responded in a sarcastic tone. It was blatant that he was from the military considering his attire. "Yes."

"Visiting someone special on your time off?"

He didn't understand the other man. He was obviously uninterested in holding a conversation with him and yet the other man continued to try. It was strange behavior. "How on earth is this any of your business?" He sneered spitefully.

As the train screeched to a halt, they both stood there for a moment longer staring each other down. The proper man had not responded to his question and with a tip of his hat he said, "It was a pleasure speaking to you." With that he walked off of the train and left behind a baffled young man.

_'What is wrong with that guy!?'_

_**'I Hear Her Voice Saying,**_

_**Leave It Behind.'**_

Damon's eyes were fixated on the familiar house before him.

It was just as lovely as he had remembered. The house stood two stories high and there were gardens that lined the walkway full of bright colorful flowers. The wind was rustling around the branches of the trees in the front yard, causing leaves and small pink flowers to float through the air. It was like a vision from a dream. In fact, in a way, it was a vision from his dreams.

Hundreds of times over the last five years he had dreams plagued with the vision of the house and the memories that he shared with Bonnie inside. They had spent most of their teenage years together and those were the best days of his life. Even though they had never pursued anything more than a friendship, he had always been in love with the younger woman. He had always wanted to be more than friends, and so had she. It had simply never worked out.

_'Maybe now... No... Don't get your hopes up Damon, she probably hates your guts.'_

His dark hair was tossed by the wind as he licked over his lips and tried to internally convince himself to walk up to the door and knock. He was scared. He didn't want to see what he had lost. He didn't want to see the same hatred behind green eyes as he had that fateful day he told her that he was leaving.

_**'Damon had recently turned eighteen years old and had graduated from high school, but that didn't stop him from spending time with his best friend Bonnie who was still only fifteen. He loved spending time with her. She was his favorite person in the entire world. Lately, though he had been avoiding her a bit more because he was scared to tell her that he had enlisted in the military. She would never approve and he didn't want to lose her forever.**_

_**Tonight he would be leaving and he wouldn't be back for a really long time.**_

_**But, he knew that he owed it to her to tell her that he was going, so that was what he planned to do when she called and invited him over to bake some cookies with her. Bonnie was baking the cookies for the festival that would be held in town the next day and she needed some help. Plus, she really missed hanging out with her best friend.**_

_**Damon's lips twisted up into a half smirk as he got some flour on the tip of his finger and he swiped it across Bonnie's nose. The younger of the two gasped as he did so and she glared up at him, pushing him by the chest and telling him to stop. This was common for the two of them. They often flirted with each other and played around. It came naturally for them.**_

_**Bonnie chewed on her bottom lip as she focused on what she was doing. She was nervous as she said, "Grams and I were going to the festival together tomorrow, if you wanted to come along. I know it's probably gonna be really cheesy, but it could be fun?" **_

_**What she was really doing was asking him out on a date.**_

_**He knew it.**_

**_And it broke his heart. Because he wouldn't be there in the morning to go with her._**

**_He knew that he had no choice but to tell her now. Staring down at his hands as he kneaded the doe, he chewed on his cheeks and tried to build up the courage to do so. Damon didn't want her to hate him. "I can't..."_**

**_"Oh..." She muttered under her breath. Her disappointment caused him to physically ache._**

**_"It's not that I don't want to-" He quickly started to explain._**

**_"-You don't have to explain yourself, Damon." Bonnie interrupted, laughing sarcastically. She didn't understand him lately. For months he had been flirting with her and sending signs her way that he wanted to be more than friends and then suddenly over the last two weeks he had stopped. He had stopped calling her every night, he had stopped coming over. He had stopped wanting her. "I understand."_**

**_"No." The older man insisted, pulling away from the doe and turning to look down into her eyes. He saw heartache behind them and he wanted to take it all away. But, he knew it was only going to get worse. "You don't."_**

**_"Then how about you explain it to me?" Her voice started to rise as she waved her hands around and stared into her eyes. She wasn't usually very emotional. Usually she hid it inside and bit her tongue. But, she had been doing that for weeks and she was tired of it. "Because you were flirting with me non-stop and now suddenly you're all standoff-ish! This is the first time we have even spent time together in weeks, Damon! What is it, did you find someone else?"_**

**_He quickly dismissed this. That was the last thing he wanted her to think._**

**_For him, it would always be her. There was no one else. _**

**_"I'm not interested in anyone else!" _**

**_"Then what is it?" She asked with a furrowed brow and tears in her eyes._**

**_"I really have wanted to spend time with you, Bon." He insisted, his blue eyes full of seriousness as he stared into hers. "I just..." He paused and took in a breath. "I can't go to the festival tomorrow because I won't be here."_**

**_"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked in a worried tone. She was no longer angry. "Why? Where are you going?"_**

**_"Look, I know that you do not approve of the military, but I enlisted."_**

**_"Damon, how could you?"_**

**_"I need to do this, Bonnie. I need to follow in my father's footsteps and do what will make him proud of me." Damon explained, he didn't want her to hate him for it. But, he had to do it. "I've been keeping my distance because I didn't know how to tell you..." His voice trailed off and silence filled the air between the two of them._**

**_Neither of them knew what to say. Both of them were visibly breaking._**

**_Bonnie couldn't breathe as she waited for Damon to finish what he was saying. She could tell that he had more to say._**

**_"I'm leaving on that train tonight and I won't be back for a very long time, Bonnie..." His voice was barely audible as he spoke and she could feel the tears as they fell down her cheeks. He hated to be the reason she was crying. "I need to do this in order to prove something to myself..." _**

**_"But, why?" She asked. "You're only eighteen years old, Damon. Why do you want to risk your life for this silly war?" She reached out and placed her hand on his chest and stared up into his eyes with hopeful green. "You could stay here with me. We could finally be together..."_**

**_"I have to do this."_**

**_Damon reached up and attempted to wipe one of the tears from Bonnie's flawless cheek, only to have her pull away from his touch and stare at him with a deadly glare. She hated him. She hated him for leaving her. He forced a smile and pulled his hand away before saying, "I'm leaving tonight..."_**

**_"Please, don't go."_**

**_"I have to." He smiled sadly. "The train leaves at midnight. I'd love it if you'd be there to see me off."_**

As he headed down the path toward the house he felt shame for wearing his uniform. It made him feel like a terrible individual for leaving her. For doing what he needed to do. Especially considering that after all of it he wished that he had never left and that he could go back and make a different choice. It wasn't possible though.

Regrets were meant to be lived with.

Honestly, from the moment that he stepped onto that train he knew that he was making the worst decision of his life. He knew that he was going to regret it.

_**'His eyes were locked on the door to the train station as he listened to the clock tick away beside his head. He knew that there were only a few minutes left before he would board that train and he would leave Precinct Three for five years of his life. Deep inside he wanted Bonnie to show up at the train station and tell him not to go. Tell him that she had always been in love with him and that she couldn't live without him.**_

_**Or, at the very least tell him she would miss him.**_

_**Actually, he wouldn't mind if she came and slapped him across the face as long as she showed up. It wasn't looking good, though.**_

**_Most of the other recruits were already on the train, aside from a few who were saying goodbye to their loved ones, and him, who was waiting for his loved one. The only person on the face of the planet that he actually cared about. His stomach was lurching back and forth and he felt hopeless. He could die within the next five years and he would never see her again._**

**_She didn't want to see him._**

**_"C'mon Bonnie." He muttered to himself as he tapped his foot impatiently and crossed his arms over his chest. _**

**_"C'mon mate!" One of the recruits shouted from the train. He and Damon had instantly hit it off. His name was Kol. "We have to get going!"_**

**_Damon clenched his jaw and he stared at the doors for just a moment longer. Praying that she would show up to see him off. But she didn't show. With a sigh he turned and walked toward the train jumping on and offering a smile to Kol._**

**_"Your lady didn't show, eh?"_**

**_"She's not my lady." He responded.'_**

To this day he wondered if she had shown up after he left. He had some hope in his mind that she had shown up just a few minutes too late and that he had missed her. That was the only thing that got him through the long nights.

_**'I Left Behind Every Trace Of A Coward,**_

_**And Moved Toward The Dreams, **__**That were Born Of Our Fathers,**_

_**Who Told Us That The World, Is Only As Flat As We Make It Out To Be.**_

As he wrapped his knuckles against the door he held his breath and waited for someone to answer. He had no idea what to expect. There was a part of him that hoped that she had waited for him, but he definitely didn't expect as much. It had been five years and she had grown into an undoubtedly beautiful woman, she would have probably moved on and met someone new by now.

The thought of her dating someone else made him feel sick to his stomach and he pushed the thought from his mind as he waited impatiently for someone to answer the door.

Suddenly, the door swung open and he furrowed his brow as he was met with no one on the other side. At least he had thought it was no one until he realized that there was someone standing below him. He turned his attention downward and realized that there was a little girl standing in front of him. She had large green eyes that were shimmering with excitement, her smile stretched clear across her face, her hair was done up in braids with cute pink bows, and she had lovely caramel skin that caused her eyes to pop.

She couldn't have been older than two.

_'Who is this...?' _Damon thought to himself as he stared down into her innocent eyes. Riddled with memories of all of the children he had killed. He just wanted to protect this girl and he didn't even know who she was. But, she looked a lot like the woman that he loved and that made him love her, even if he didn't like what he was feeling in that moment.

"Hi there." She said with so much energy that he envied her. He wished that he still had such excitement in him and that he looked at the world with those eyes again. "Are you here to see mama?"

_'Mama... Oh god, please no...' _He tried to convince himself that there was a logical explanation. Perhaps Bonnie had moved out and someone else lived there now? He was at a loss for words as he stared at the little girl with a furrowed brow and a confused expression on his face. He had expected Bonnie to have moved on, though he had hoped she wouldn't, but he hadn't expected this.

"Mama!" The girl shouted.

"What is it..." A woman started as she walked into the room, her voice trailed off when she saw who was standing at her front door. It was like seeing a ghost. She had assumed that he had died. It was easier to sleep at night if he was dead to her. It was easier to love someone new if she thought that he was never coming back to her. And now he was standing before her wearing the uniform that tore them apart. She felt like she was going to break down in that moment.

Damon's eyes traveled over the gorgeous woman standing before him. She was wearing a dress that showed off her figure perfectly, and she had definitely matured. She was twenty years old now and she looked stunning. He caught her eyes with his and there was no more denying it. The woman standing across the room was Bonnie Bennett.

The look she was wearing matched his.

They both felt like they were seeing someone that they had never expected to see again, and neither of them knew what to say.

_'She had a daughter...?' _Damon wondered as he looked back down at the young girl who was now standing beside her mother and holding onto her leg. She looked just like her mother and he could already feel his heart warm as he saw the two of them together. But, he also felt anger. Not toward them, but toward himself. He had thrown away this. That could have been his family standing before him and instead some other man was in love with her and had been there when they had their daughter.

Years of military training couldn't have prepared him for the pain that he felt in that moment.

A man entered the room and he wrapped his arm around Bonnie's shoulders, pulling her close to him. Damon recognized the man. They had gone to high school together. His name was Marcel. In that moment as he watched the three of them standing together, he broke. He couldn't take it anymore. They looked like a happy family and he was envious of it. He had nothing left to show and he had lost it all chasing silly and pointless dreams in the name of a man who had hardly loved him at all.

"Who is our guest?" Marcel asked with a knowing grin.

"Damon... He was in your class in high school, remember?" Bonnie asked her husband with a smile. "We used to be really good friends."

"I'm sorry." Damon apologized. "I shouldn't have come by." With that he turned and started out of the door he couldn't stand being in that house any longer.

"Wait, Damon!"

_**'I Could Tell By Your Actions, And The Words That You Spoke,**_

_**That You'd Lost Someone Close, And Your Heart Was Half Broken.'**_

Elijah was sitting in his office in Original Corp.'s official building. It was just outside of Precinct Three and he spent most of his time there trying to provide for his family. Today was a very important day at the company. Many people were receiving news of promotion and he was waiting anxiously to see if he too would be receiving one.

If he got a promotion it would change his entire life.

He would have to work less and he would get paid more. Which meant that he would have more time to spend with the woman he loved and their daughter, and he would also have more money to help sustain their living situation. It would be a win-win. For now though, all that he could do was wait and finish up his work.

As he signed one of the documents he had just read over, a smile spread on his lips and his eyes landed on the photos that he had sitting all over his desk. They were a constant reminder of why he worked so hard. In one of the pictures, he and Hayley were standing and smiling on their wedding day. In another Hayley was pregnant and he had his hand on her baby bump. Then there was a photo from their daughter, Elizabeth's, first Christmas and birthday.

A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts and he quickly glanced up to see who it was.

"Come in."

One of the other employee's popped his head inside and told him, "The boss wants to see you."

This was a big deal. No one ever saw the boss. Not unless they were getting promoted or fired. His heart started to race as he thought about all of the possibilities. A promotion would save his family and being fired would destroy them.

"Thank you. Tell him I will be up in just a moment."

_**'It's Come To Another Night, **__**Filled With Cold Sweats,**_

_**Lucid Dreams In Restless Sleep. **__**Oh Woe Is Me, Woe Is Me.'**_

He lifted the glass bottle to his lips and he downed another gulp of bourbon as he walked through the alleyway. Somewhere along the line since he left Bonnie's house, the sun had gone down and darkness had filled the sky. Now here he was, drunk off of his ass, regretting every decision he ever made and hating himself. Damon knew that he couldn't blame anyone else but himself, but he couldn't control the rage he was feeling.

"I finally get back." He shouted, laughing insanely. "And she has a fucking daughter?!"

Damon took another drink of the alcohol and he stumbled over a pothole nearly falling to the ground. He didn't care though. Honestly, if he fell and died in the street it would be a blessing, because he had only been staying alive to see Bonnie again. For five years he fought and nearly died, but he had to live just to see her again.

"I shoulda never left." He slurred drunkenly. "I shoulda just stayed like she asked! If I stayed that would be our daughter!" He screamed these words with such anger that he didn't even know he possessed. Over the years he had lost all of his innocence and now he was full of hatred and regret. Throwing the bottle he watched as it smashed into a million pieces against the brick wall of the alleyway.

"I shoulda fucking stayed."

Damon started to stumble through the alley again and that was when he heard something behind him. He had been trained to listen to these sort of things and always be prepared and even in his intoxicated state he was still aware. Turning, he looked behind himself and yelled. "Who are you and what do you want!? I have a gun!" He said these words with a devious and demented half smirk and a playful sing-song tone of voice. He didn't care anymore.

When no one responded he waved his hand and turned back around heading toward the hotel that he was staying at. He had hoped to stay at Bonnie's but seeing as her husband and daughter were there he didn't feel like he could.

"Aw, I didn't even get to say hi to Grams." He stated sarcastically. The older woman had never approved of him.

He snapped his head around when he heard another noise and he looked around for the source. "Okay seriously, who's there?"

Damon took a few steps back into the alley, looking around for the person who was obviously following him. With a raise of his brow he smirked and started to sing, "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Standing in silence he waited to see if something moved, but everything was silent and he was starting to think that it was just the alcohol and the paranoia of battle messing with his head. After being on that battlefield you started to fear for your life around every corner. He laughed and turned back around. "I must be going nuts."

A plastic bag was abruptly pulled over his head and tied tightly around his neck. He couldn't see and in his drunken state he couldn't fight back as he wheezed into the bag and tried to breathe. The person pulled him to the ground and Damon felt everything going black as he lost all of the oxygen in his lungs. He attempted to struggle and scream, but it was futile. He knew in that moment that he was going to die. He would never see Bonnie again. He would never see his friends back at the base. He would never fight with Stefan again.

His life was over.

_**'And Oh My God,**_

_**Do You Do This Out Of Love?'**_

He was standing in the bosses office staring at the back of a chair and waiting for the man to turn around. He didn't even know what the man looked like, he had only heard rumors around the building and he was feeling anxious. Yet, he remained composed. Standing with proper posture he waited for the other man to turn around before speaking.

The room was vast and full of beautiful sculptures. The walls of the room were all glass and they looked out into the biggest city in the country.

It was more than an office.

Elijah envied him. He also strove to be like him one day. One day he would run the company.

A few minutes passed by and the boss still hadn't turned around or said anything, so he took it upon himself to start the conversation. Perhaps he was waiting for him to do so? Taking a step toward his desk he spoke in a loud and punctual voice, "Excuse me, sir. You wanted to speak with me about something?"

Silence still filled the room and Elijah's heart was starting to pound in his chest as he cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brow. There was something very odd about whatever was going on and he didn't quite understand it. He was worried that this was the man's sick way of firing someone and he couldn't handle the thought of losing his job.

Not now that Hayley was pregnant with their second child.

Eliijah took another step toward his desk and he spoke in a louder voice. "Sir."

As he attempted to take another step in his direction, a plastic bag was wrapped around his head and pulled tightly against his throat. He tried to scream and kick the person off of him, but there were many people and they were holding him down as they waited for the air to leave his body. Elijah tried to breathe, but it was to no avail as everything went black around him.

_**'Oh, How I've Wronged You My Love.'**_

* * *

**Author's Note :**

**I have had this idea in my head for a while, but I didn't really know if y'all would like it! This will be my first Haylijah fic and it should have an equal balance between Haylijah and Bamon for the most part! This story will have supernatural beings in it, vampirism will be introduced in the next chapter and things will get pretty dark and twisted! **

**If y'all are interested in this idea than please leave me some reviews telling me what y'all think so that I know and can add the next chapter!**

**What do y'all think of Bamon? What about Damon's past do y'all want to know more about Kol and his friendship during the war? Do y'all like Boncel so far? What about Haylijah and their family!? What do you guys want to see with them? Who do you guys think is behind this and what are your ideas for why they are kidnapping them?!**

**Alright! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter!**

**I love you all!**

**-Tracy Cook-**


	2. Chapter 2

**You'll Never Take Our Humanity**

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Bonnie x Damon, Hayley x Elijah

Warnings : There will be mentions of death, morbidity, graphic sex, alcohol, war, violence, suicide, etc. Do not read if these things bother you. This will be a very dark story. There will be vampires in this fic, but it is AU.

Rating: M

**Chapter Two**

_**'Do You Define Yourself,**_

_**By Some Remembered Set Of Empty Phrases?**_

_'Drip.'_

Blue eyes fluttered as he felt a drop of water splash against his nose. It was cold against his heated skin. His entire body was aching and he could tell that he had fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position. Undoubtedly, drunk in an alleyway. His spine felt like it was twisted and his hands were hanging above his head.

"Damn." He rasped out. His throat was sore and he felt thirsty. "How much did I drink last night?"

_'Drip.'_

Another pesky drop of water fell and hit him in the nose and he groaned out, reaching up to wipe the water away. As he reached to wipe it away he found that he wasn't able to move his arms and there was something digging painfully into the skin of his wrists. His eyes snapped open and everything around him was dark, all that he could hear were cries of pain and chains rattling all around him.

Memories of the previous night abruptly flashed through his mind and he started to struggle angrily against the chains that held him. He could remember getting home from the war and seeing Bonnie's beautiful face and the daughter that should have been his daughter. He could recall the smirk that Marcel wore as he greeted him. He could remember glass breaking against the wall of the alleyway before a plastic bag was placed over his head and pulled tightly around his neck. He wheezed and screamed and tried to move, but he couldn't as he was slowly suffocated.

_'But, I'm not dead...' _Damon didn't know whether or not to feel relieved by this realization or dreadful.

Whoever had suffocated him had only done so until he passed out and then they had dragged his body down into some dark basement and chained him up. There was something even more terrifying about that. Who had kidnapped him? What did they want from him?

Damon screamed out for someone to help him as he struggled against the chains and tried to see into the darkness of the room. His eyes were slowly adjusting and he could make out a few other figures. But, they were only shadows. He couldn't make out who they were or what they were doing.

"Struggle all you'd like. I've spent the last few hours attempting everything in my power to escape and it has been futile."

Damon's head snapped up as he heard a familiar voice. Sitting across from him was the man with the accent that he had met on the train on his way to Precinct Three. His suit was tattered from what he could see and he was no longer wearing his hat, his hair disheveled. He had a feeling that his hair was rarely disheveled.

All that he could feel was anger toward the mystery man. His jaw was tight and his breathing was heavy as he stared him down violently. Perhaps he was taking his anger out on the wrong person, but he couldn't help but believe that this man had something to do with his current situation. It couldn't be a coincidence that he talked to him on the train the same day that Damon was kidnapped and now he was sitting across from him in the dark cellar.

"You!" He shouted angrily, pulling at the chains and trying to move toward him. He was pulled back against the wall and he let out a scream of pain as he slammed into the bricks. "This is all your fault! What do you want from me?!"

He was on the verge of tears, but he turned all of his sorrow and heartache into anger as he glared across at the proper gentleman. He knew that he worked for Original Corp. and he knew that there was no way that he could trust the man. The people who worked for the company were conniving and they did whatever they needed to get ahead in the world.

The man in the suit didn't look phased in the slightest by his outburst.

With a smile on his lips he said, "Take a look around."

Breathing heavily, Damon took a moment to look around the basement again. This time his eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he could see the other figures clearly. The basement went on for as far as he could see, and chained to the walls were many other men just like him. They too were screaming and pulling on their chains and trying to get out. Along with them being chained up, he realized the man in the suit was chained to the wall as well and he had marks across his neck.

His heart was pounding painfully in his chest. It felt like it was going to break through his rib-cage and his stomach was clenching tightly as he realized that everything was hopeless.

"There are approximately one-hundred and twenty of us." The British man informed.

"And how do you know that?" He raised his brow accusingly at the other man. At a young age his father had taught him to never trust anyone who worked at Original Corp. For all he knew this man had kidnapped all of them and he was trying to befriend him in order to get information out of him.

"I spent the last hour or so counting." He stated simply. Honestly, he didn't care if the other man believed him or not.

_'He is way too calm for someone who doesn't know what's going on...' _Damon concluded. No normal human being would just be sitting and counting with a nonchalant attitude. He didn't even look scared at all. He had to be in on it. "Don't think for a second I trust you." He spat, his eyes widening.

"Don't think for a second that I trust you either."

_**'Do You Question Them At All?'**_

"You want to go and look for him?" Marcel couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Bonnie ran her hands through her long dark hair and she started to pace in front of him. "You don't understand..."

She knew that she shouldn't be so concerned over Damon after so many years had passed, but she couldn't help but be. She had always loved him. He had always been the one who had slipped away and she had regretted losing him for so many years of her life. There was something so special about him. Something that compelled her. And she knew that he needed her right now, even if her husband was angry about it.

"Then tell me." He said, taking a step toward the woman he loved and furrowing his brow as he stared down at her.

The conversation felt very familiar and it caused her chest to tighten painfully. She stared up into his eyes with concerned green and she said, "Damon has a way of self-destructing when he is angry." She chewed on her bottom lip and Marcel could tell that her feelings ran deeper than friendship. He knew that she loved him. "And I don't want him to do anything stupid that he will regret."

Marcel gripped her fragile hands gently with his own and he pulled her closer to him, pleading with his eyes for her to just let Damon go.

"He's a grown man, Bon." He smiled. "He can take care of himself. He doesn't need you to sweep in and protect him from himself."

When he called her Bon it reminded her of her days back in high school when she would spend time with Damon. He always called her that. It was his special little nickname for her and it meant so much coming from him. She couldn't just stand by and watch him self-destruct without trying to save him. Not after everything.

Lifting her chin she stated confidently, "I need to find him."

He rolled his eyes and groaned out in displeasure as he let go of her hands. He couldn't comprehend why Bonnie would uproot her entire life to chase after some guy who randomly showed up at their door after so long. "For someone you say was just a friend in high school, you care a lot about the guy." The way that he said the word friend was suggestive.

Bonnie knew exactly what he was suggesting and he wasn't entirely wrong.

But, the two of them had never blurred the line between friends and lovers.

Pulling her jacket on, she said. "You know, it's kind of weird that you don't remember him from high school."

"I guess he just never stood out to me." He said with a shrug of his shoulders as he pulled his own jacket on. There was no way that he was going to let his wife chase after some guy alone.

Something in his voice told her that he was lying to her. Bonnie didn't want to believe it, because as far as she knew he had always been honest and sincere with her, but she was getting a strange feeling from him. A feeling like he knew more than he was admitting to. "That's strange considering that when he took me to his senior prom you talked to us a lot that night." She turned and stared him down. "You don't remember that?"

"I talked to a lot of people that night."

_**'Marcel's eyes were fixated on a pair of students as he stood across the gym. He was wearing a suit and a hat and he hadn't brought a date to the prom because he had his eyes on someone in particular. Someone who belonged to someone else. Bonnie Bennett. If he had his way she would be his within the next few months.**_

**_Rumor had it that Damon was heading off for the war after he graduated and although Bonnie didn't want him to leave, the young man seemed prepared to do whatever it took to follow in his father's footsteps._**

**_Marcel was going to use this to his advantage._**

**_Once Damon was gone, he would be the one who was there to pick up the pieces of Bonnie's broken heart. He would comfort her. He would make her fall in love with him. And in order to do that he had been planting seeds for weeks. Making sure that the young woman knew that he was there and that he had feelings for her._**

**_Currently, the two of them were dancing along to one of the fast songs. They weren't really touching, but there was something extremely intimate about the way that they were looking at each other. Damon looked at Bonnie with such happiness and she shared the look as she stared up at him, laughing and smiling brightly._**

**_They were young and in love._**

**_And he hated every minute of it._**

**_When the song came to an end, Damon led the way across the room his hand on Bonnie's lower back. They were both talking about something and laughing and they looked like they were dating. Marcel knew better though, they weren't dating, and now was his chance to make his move. Walking toward the two of them he flashed the beautiful woman a stunning smirk as he said, "Hello, Bonnie."_**

**_"Oh." She was pulled out of her conversation with Damon as she noticed that Marcel was talking to her. "Hey, Marcel." She smiled._**

**_Damon eyed the other man suspiciously and his grip tightened protectively around Bonnie's waist. He knew that Marcel was interested in her and he didn't like it at all. "Marcel." He stated sarcastically with a raised brow._**

**_"I just wanted to tell you that you look lovely tonight." He told Bonnie, completely ignoring the way that blue eyes were glaring at him. He didn't even give him the time of the day. _**

**_A blush traced along her cheeks at the compliment and she was genuinely grateful for it, "Thanks."_**

**_Damon clenched his jaw and stared Marcel down furiously as he complimented the woman that he loved. He wanted more than anything to make things official between Bonnie and himself, but he knew that if he did, it would only complicate everything and in the end it would devastate her more when he left.'_**

"Come on, babe." Marcel attempted one last time to convince her that they didn't need to go searching for Damon. "He can take care of himself." He smirked and gave her a suggestive look, "Let's just stay in tonight. Spend some quality time together."

When she still looked hesitant he added, "It's supposed to rain anyway."

"I don't care, I am going to find him." Bonnie was uncompromising. She was not going to allow Damon to put himself in danger without doing anything to help, and she knew him well enough to know that was exactly what he was going to do. "Sheila!" She called to her daughter and watched as the two year old ran out of her bedroom and toward her with a wide smile on her face.

She was her everything.

She was the reason that Bonnie had married Marcel in the first place.

Hastily, she wrapped the little girl up in her pink jacket and then she lifted her and started out the front door toward the car, Marcel close behind.

"Where are we going, mama?" Sheila asked curiously.

"We gotta go find mama's friend." Bonnie told her with a smile.

"He's lost?"

"Yeah. He's lost."

_**'I Don't Condemn You,**_

_**I Know We've All Got To Cling To Something,**_

_**To Find Our Way Through This Life.'**_

"Elijah was supposed to be home hours ago." Hayley stated anxiously as she looked to her best friend, Rebekah. The blonde was dressed in a business suit and she had her hair pulled tightly back into a ponytail. She had met her through Original Corp. She was one of the few employees that worked with her husband that Hayley actually trusted.

"Perhaps he is just late getting off work?" The British woman suggested with a small smile on her full lips.

"He is never late. This is Elijah we are talking about." She reminded. The man was always punctual. It was sometimes annoying how punctual he was. "And besides, if he wasn't going to show he would have called. This isn't like him."

Rebekah knew that it was true. The man was insanely loyal and he was always on time to everything. Often times he made her feel like a slacker because he arrived to every meeting five minutes early and she always arrived five minutes late. "I could go and check at the office if you would like?"

Hayley let out a breath that she hadn't known she was holding and she smiled gratefully at her. She was so glad that she had such a wonderful friend in her life. It would have been nearly impossible for her to drive to the office with Elizabeth and being pregnant. "I would love that!" She said. "Thank you so much, Rebekah."

"Of course, love." She said with a nod. "I'll return shortly. Don't worry too much, it's bad for the baby." Blue eyes glanced down at her baby bump and Hayley rested her hand over her stomach and smiled.

"Just find him."

"I will." Rebekah told her adamantly. Then she turned her attention to the four year old girl who was smiling up at her and waiting to say goodbye. She loved her aunt Bekah after all. "See you later kiddo!"

"Bye aunt Bekah!" Elizabeth said, reaching out and hugging the blonde as she knelt down and opened her arms to her. Rebekah couldn't have children of her own. She had tried multiple times, but the doctors had told her that she wasn't capable of such. It destroyed her. But, she found that she was almost as happy when she was around Hayley's daughter. She loved her as much as she would love her own child.

With one last goodbye to Hayley, Rebekah walked out of the house and closed the door behind her leaving behind a very worried wife and mother.

Elizabeth was old enough to know that something was wrong. Her mother looked sad and she didn't know where her daddy was. He was always home in time to read her a story before she went to sleep.

"Time for bed sweetheart." She said, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. She prayed that when her daughter woke up in the morning Elijah would be back and safe. This day in age with the war, people walked out of their houses and they never returned. The thought caused her heart to stop and sickness to overwhelm her.

"Can you read me a story first?" She asked with large hope-filled eyes. "Daddy always reads me a story."

"Of course."

Elizabeth ran toward the sofa and she jumped onto it excitedly as Hayley walked toward the bookshelf and picked out her daughter's favorite book. '_Little Red Riding Hood.' _She then glanced toward the sofa and watched as the four year old smiled at her. The fire from the fireplace flickering off of her eager eyes. She was beautiful. Hayley could see both herself and Elijah in her features and she was perfect. She was her perfect thing.

Walking toward the couch she took a seat beside her daughter and she started to read the book as Elizabeth snuggled up against her shoulder and listened. Her small hand resting on top of her baby bump. She was already so protective of her sister or brother.

It was so sweet.

_**'Hayley stared down at Elijah's hand as it traced patterns along her belly bump. Every time she felt him touch her she felt her body heat up and it felt like the first time all over again. That was how she knew that she was in love with him. That was how she knew being with him was different than being with anyone else. He made her feel. With every single touch.**_

_**"I went and applied for that position at Original Corp. today." His accented voice caused her to shiver. It was soothing and beautiful, yet tempting all the same.**_

_**"You didn't have to do that." She breathed out sadly. She knew that it was never a passion of his to work at the Corporation. "You could have kept working on your writing."**_

_**"No, I couldn't have." Elijah smiled at her and their eyes connected. It still took her breath away when he stared at her like that.**_

_**Hayley smiled and insisted, "But you were so close to finishing your novel!"**_

**_"An unfinished novel will not put supper on the table, my love." With that, he reached up and pushed a strand of dark hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her cheek. The light from the fireplace was dancing along her skin and it made her look even more lovely. If that was possible. Which it wasn't in his opinion. "We are having a daughter and I need to do best by her." He paused and caressed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "Best by you."_**

**_Hayley reached up and placed her hand over his, giving it a small squeeze. "Giving up your passion isn't doing best by me. I want you to be happy."_**

**_"Don't you understand?" He asked, squinting his eyes at her. "We are having a daughter. I have never been happier, Hayley."_**

**_"But, you don't believe in anything Original Corp. stands for."_**

**_"I know." _**

**_"Elijah..." She started, but he interrupted her as he pressed his lips to hers in a short and passionate kiss. She took in a breath and let out a soft hum of approval into the kiss as his fingers tangled in her dark hair and pulled her closer, applying more pressure. The kiss was gentle and delicate, yet it still caused her heart to race and every inch of her body to react. _**

**_He pulled away and there was only a breath between them as he stared deep into her eyes. "I love you."_**

**_His breath rushed against Hayley's lips and she shivered and smiled, tears in her eyes. "I love you more."_**

**_"Not possible."_**

"Where's daddy?" Elizabeth wondered as she dozed on her mother's shoulder.

Hayley bit down on her bottom lip and she stroked her fingers lovingly through the little girl's hair. She didn't want to project her worries on her. She didn't want to scare her, so instead she said, "He'll be home soon, sweetie. Get some rest."

She had a bad feeling though. This wasn't like him at all. He would have called by now if nothing was wrong. _'Where are you Elijah?'_

_**'How Were We Born Into This Mess?**_

_**I Know I Painted You A Pretty Picture, Baby.'**_

Bonnie was sitting in the passenger seat as Marcel drove the streets of Precinct Three. He looked upset with her, but she didn't care. She was going to find Damon. Sheila was sleeping in her car seat in the back seat.

Green eyes were focused intently out the window as she watched the streets closely. She had a feeling that Damon was wandering them and she wanted to make sure that they didn't miss a single street or alleyway. She needed to find him. _'Come on, Damon. Where are you?' _

Seeing him again had felt surreal. Truthfully, she had never expected to see his face again and when she did she hadn't known what to say to him. Should she run to him and hug him and apologize for not seeing him off? Should she act like they were just old friends despite the rush of emotions and feelings that resurfaced upon seeing his handsome face again?

For so many years she had convinced herself that he was dead.

And at some point she had started to believe it.

She had to believe that if he was alive he would have contacted her. In the military the soldiers weren't allowed to leave until they served for five years, if they lived, but they could still write home. Every day she had a small hope in her heart that she would receive a letter from him. Every time she got the mail she prayed that there would be a letter from her long lost love, but there were never any from him.

Bonnie didn't know how to feel.

She didn't know much of anything except that she needed to know he was safe.

As the rain started to thud against the window hard, her worries intensified. Now he was out wandering the streets in the rain. He was probably intoxicated, he had a knack for dealing with his problems that way, and it was freezing cold and raining.

_'I can't lose him again...'_

**_'Bonnie had to sneak out of her Grams' house through the second-story window, and scale the side of it, in order to escape that night. She knew that her Grams was going to find out about her leaving when she got back, but she didn't care. She had to see Damon off. _**

**_She had spent all day going through pictures of the two of them and remembering all of the times that they had shared throughout high school. And even though she was angry with him for hiding it from her, and she didn't want him to go, she couldn't stand the thought of not seeing him one last time before he left for the war. _**

**_What if she never got the chance to see his smile again?_**

**_What if she never got the chance to tell him that she loved him again?_**

**_The thought broke her heart._**

**_Bonnie was running as fast as her legs would carry her. She was already a few minutes late leaving the house and she was terrified that she was going to miss the train. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest and her breathing was heavy as the rain splashed against her skin. It was freezing, but she couldn't feel anything. _**

**_She noticed a figure walking toward her down the street and she instantly recognized him. It was Marcel. She was in too big of a hurry to wonder what he was doing out so late. It didn't even register that it was odd._**

**_He stood in front of her, inhibiting her ability to keep running. She was too polite to simply run past him as he said, "Where are you headed at this time?"_**

**_"I'm sorry, I can't talk right now Marcel." She said as she tried to catch her breath. "I have to go." _**

**_Bonnie tried to run past him, but he stood in front of her again and smiled. It was like he was trying to keep her from getting where she needed to be. She knew that was illogical. There was no reason for him to do that, but that was how she felt in that moment because she was so desperate to get to Damon._**

**_"In the rain?" He laughed a little. "I live a few blocks away, I could give you a ride?"_**

**_"Thanks for your concern, but I really have to go." Bonnie told him. She didn't care to be polite any longer. She knew he was just trying to be nice but he was in her way. Pushing past him, she started to run toward the train station. She was only a few blocks away now and she knew that it had to be getting close to midnight. She was so scared that she was going to be late._**

**_Her heart was aching for Damon._**

**_Making a sharp turn she could see that the train was still in the station and her heart jumped and she filled with joy. She was going to make it. All she had to do was push a little bit more. _**

**_Bonnie felt like she was going to have a heart attack, but it would all be worth it to see the way Damon's blue eyes shimmered when she showed up to see him off. She was drenched to the bone and her body was freezing, but she didn't care. As she reached the door to the train station though, she watched in horror as the train started to pull out of the station and move along the track._**

**_She opened the door and ran inside only to see that the train was already leaving._**

**_She had missed him._**

**_Her heart shattered into a million pieces and she was suddenly hit with the cold air rushing against her skin, tears fell down her cheeks and she crumbled to her knees, shivering and shaking and crying. She couldn't believe that she had missed him._**

**_Damon had left for the war. Left to his death. And the last thought in his head was that Bonnie didn't love him enough to come and see him off. It killed her.'_**

**_'It's All I've Got, My Fiction._**

**_Beats The Hell Out Of My Truth.'_**

"What do you think the people who did this want?" Damon asked the man sitting across from him. He had given up the silent treatment a while ago. He found that when he was chained up in a dark basement it was nice to at least pretend like he could trust someone else. Even if he couldn't.

"I've been trying to figure that out for some time." The other man responded, perplexed. "Last I knew I was getting a raise from the boss at Original Corp., then there was a plastic bag over my head suffocating me to death."

Damon pursed his lips and squinted his eyes at the man in the suit. He was still suspicious of him. But, for some reason there was an honesty in the man's voice that made him want to trust him. Despite himself, he found that he was starting to believe his story.

"What is your story, if I may ask?" The man wondered.

He laughed and lent his head back against the wall, his dark hair sticking to his forehead because he was sweating. For at least an hour he had tried everything in his means to break free of the chains and now he was exhausted. His wrists were cut open and bleeding from the way that the handcuffs had rubbed against his skin. "I was drunk off my ass wandering around in the alley when they got me."

"I take it that visiting your loved one did not go so well?"

"You could say that." He laughed sarcastically.

Suddenly, doors to the basement opened and light shined down into the cellar. Followed by the light were hundreds of men dressed up in protective gear and wearing helmets to both protect and conceal their identities. They didn't want the men to know who they were. All of them were carrying guns as they started to unshackle the hostages.

Damon's brow was furrowed in confusion as he stared over at the proper gentleman with a look that said, 'What's going on?'

A few of the men moved toward Elijah and started to unshackle him, then they moved toward Damon and did the same. When the young man started to struggle against them, they placed a gun to the back of his head and dug it deep into his scalp as a warning that he needed to behave.

He caught the other man's eyes and they told him to settle down. He didn't have to say anything for his point to be made. The two of them were in this together. They needed to cooperate and then they would find a way out.

_**'I Kissed The Bottle.**_

_**I Should Have Been Kissing You.**_

_**You Wake Up To An Empty Night, With Tears For Two.'**_

* * *

**Author's Note :**

**Wow! I got a lot of people who were interested in this idea so I decided to add another chapter ASAP! Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! I love hearing from you guys! How did you guys like this chapter? Did you enjoy the Haylijah scene? What about Rebekah being introduced? How are you guys feeling about Marcel? What about Bamon!? Haha a lot going on and I really hope that y'all are still finding this fic interesting!**

**If y'all leave me lots of lovin's I promise to have the next chapter out ASAP!**

**Thank you all so much for reading!**

**I love you guys!**

**-Tracy Cook-**


	3. Chapter 3

**You'll Never Take Our Humanity**

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Bonnie x Damon, Hayley x Elijah

Warnings : There will be mentions of death, morbidity, graphic sex, alcohol, war, violence, suicide, etc. Do not read if these things bother you. This will be a very dark story. There will be vampires in this fic, but it is AU.

Rating: M

**Chapter Three**

_**'What's The Furthest Place From Here?**_

_**It Hasn't Been My Day For A Couple Of Years.'**_

The blonde walked the hallways of Original Corp with a strut that told everyone she was a woman on a mission. Her hair was pulled back tight, she had on an expensive suit, and she was sporting a pair of sunglasses, despite the fact that it was already past midnight. Most of the employees had already headed home so everything was silent around her.

She was finding the building to be ominous after hours.

Rebekah had a sinking feeling in her gut that something dreadful was going on. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but Hayley had been right when she said that this wasn't like Elijah. Of course, she would never tell her that. She had to keep her best friend positive and hopeful, but something was off. He would have at the very least called to tell her he was going to be late.

Turning the corner she reached Elijah's office and came to a halt in front of it. Lifting her sunglasses and resting them atop her head, she reached out and turned the handle to the door, pulling on it.

"Elijah." She called out, taking a few steps into the office and looking around for any sign of the man.

There was no sign of him anywhere, though. _'He does not appear to be here, yet the light is still on and the door was not locked... This is odd. Something doesn't feel right about this.' _She concluded as she walked around the office and looked for any indication of where the older man had went. The anxious feeling that she had upon arriving at the corporation was only intensifying as she looked around.

Something was very wrong.

"Elijah!" Rebekah stated again, hoping that if he was near then he would announce himself.

There was no sign of him though and there was absolutely no sound in the office. Only an eerie silence surrounded her and it was causing the hairs to rise on the back of her neck. She knew that she was more than likely overreacting, but she was scared.

Blue eyes landed on Elijah's briefcase that was leaning up against the side of his desk and a cup of unfinished coffee that was next to his computer. Wherever he had gone, it seemed that he was planning on returning. Rebekah's brow was furrowed and her full lips were pressed tightly together as she reached into her purse and pulled out her cellphone.

Dialing Hayley's number she lifted the phone to hear ear and listened to the ringing on the other end. Her heart was hammering painfully in her ears as she waited for her best friend to pick up the phone.

"Rebekah?" A familiar voice asked. Her voice was filled with dismay. "Did you find him?"

Rebekah wanted to deliver positive news, but she didn't have any. "I'm afraid not, love."

"God, I'm so worried." She said. "Where could he be?"

"He has a cup of unfinished coffee sitting on his desk and he left his briefcase here, so I have a feeling that he expected to return shortly." Her voice held hope, but honestly she had mixed feelings on the subject. It was good news that he had been planning to return, yet he still hadn't. Where was he? Why hadn't he returned? Why hadn't he called? "Is there anywhere else that he would go?" Rebekah wondered.

Hayley knit her brows together in thought as she tried to think of where her husband could have gone. She was sending up prayers that he had just took a break from work to grab a bite to eat. "Sometimes when he stays at the office late, he goes to the cafe down the street for a late night snack."

The hope in the other woman's voice devastated Rebekah. She had a sickening feeling that Elijah wasn't going to be at the cafe, she had a feeling that Elijah was missing. That something bad had happened to him.

Forcing a smile on her lips she said, "Alright. I will head that way next."

"Thank you, Rebekah." She breathed out.

"Of course, dear." Rebekah paused, she knew that her friend needed reassurance. "Hayley?"

"Yeah?" Her voice cracked with the weight of emotions she was feeling. She was trying her hardest not to think about what life would be like if she lost her husband, but she was regardless. She was thinking about living without him. Their children growing up without a father. It was killing her.

"Keep your chin up, I am going to find him."

"Yeah, I'll try." She laughed uncertainly, knowing that she wouldn't be capable of such. "Thanks."

Rebekah hung the phone up and she placed it back into her purse before turning on her heels and facing the door of the office. She let out a startled yelp and jumped when she saw someone standing in front of the door staring at her. She recognized him as one of the employees she worked with at the corporation. But, there was something curious about the way that he was sternly standing there and staring her down. His muscles were tense and his eyes were glued to her, he had a frown on his lips and he looked angry.

"Bloody hell, Marcus!" She shouted at him, laughing uncomfortably under his gaze. "You scared the hell out of me!"

Her laughter died in her throat when she realized that he wasn't laughing along with her. He wasn't even smiling. He was staring at her with deadly eyes and a clenched jaw.

"Alright you can stop with the creepy staring anytime you'd like." Rebekah said, taking a few steps toward Marcus. She was starting to feel like she had just walked into a trap of some sort. But, if it meant that she would find Elijah then that was all that mattered.

"What are you doing here so late?" He asked in a monotone voice. He sounded like a machine.

Rebekah pursed her lips and stared the man down. "Elijah never showed after work, so I was coming by the office to check on him." _'What business is this of his? I feel like he is interrogating me or something... This is so weird.' _"Have you seen him by chance?"

"Last I saw him, he was speaking to the boss about a promotion."

She let out a sigh of relief hearing this news. "Thank god." She lifted a hand to her chest and smiled brightly. If Elijah was speaking with the boss about a promotion it would explain why he couldn't call Hayley. That wouldn't be appropriate. It would also explain why he was late getting off work. "That's wonderful news!" Rebekah said.

Finally, Marcus smiled as he said, "Well, not for me, it's not."

"I s'pose I should head out in that case." She felt a strong desire to get out of the office and back to the safety of her car.

"If you wanted I could take you up to him."

Rebekah eyed the other employee suspiciously. She didn't feel like she could trust him, but she wanted to see Elijah and know that he was safe. And if there was some sort of conspiracy going on then she needed to find him even more so. "I would appreciate that."

"Right this way." Marcus turned and started to head out of the office and down the hallway toward the elevator. Rebekah was close behind. She had never been to the top floor before and she had never met the boss. She had heard rumors about people meeting him and what he was like, but none of them really matched up. Her stomach was lurching back and forth as she stepped onto the elevator and the doors closed.

Something felt so final about it.

_**'What's The Closest You Can Come, To An Almost Total Wreck,**_

_**And Still Walk Away, All Limbs Intact?**_

A sharp pain shot through his head as he felt the gun thrust into the back of his scalp for what seemed like the hundredth time. The men in the helmets were pushing him forward and telling him to keep walking.

Damon growled under his breath and his muscles tightened. He was feeling the urge to turn around and attack the man standing behind him. If it was only him, then he would have, but there were hundreds of men standing around him holding guns. They would kill him before he had the chance to move an inch. Not to mention, the men were all wearing protective gear and there was little that he could do to inflict damage on them.

They had already confiscated his gun.

In line beside him was the man in the suit. He was watching Damon closely, and he could feel his eyes on him. Glancing over at him he realized that he was giving him a look that said to calm down.

The man behind him hit him with his gun again and said, "Keep moving."

His voice was deep and electronic. It was obvious that they were trying to disguise their identities.

Ignoring his urges to say something sarcastic in response, he focused his attention forward again and continued to walk. They were all being led into another room and as he took a look around at the other men he noticed that he actually recognized a few of them from the war. Some of them had been at his military base and they too were wearing their uniforms. _'What a way to celebrate our leave...' _He thought. Other than the military men, there were others dressed in suits that he presumed worked with the man standing beside him at Original Corp.

_'What the hell is going on here...?'_

When they were finally pushed into the room, Damon observed it closely. There were hundreds of metal tables lined up for as far as the eye could see. Beside the metal tables, was what looked like hospital equipment.

Blue eyes widened in terror as some of the men were pushed down onto the tables and shackled to them. His heart was racing in his chest and he was nauseous. What were these people planning to do to them? Were they planning on experimenting on them? _'I'm not going to sit around and be somebody's lab rat...' _

Adrenaline was pumping through his veins and the panic was starting to set in. He knew that he was going to do something stupid, he was going to get himself killed. But, when he looked over at the man standing beside him he instantly calmed down. He didn't know what it was about him, but he trusted him. He trusted that the two of them were going to make it out alive.

The man with the honest eyes gave a small shake of his head. Telling him not to do anything rash.

Then he nodded in the opposite direction.

Damon turned to look at what he was nodding at and he watched as one of the young soldiers started to struggle against the men in helmets. He was screaming at the top of his lungs about how he wasn't going to be an experiment. About how he just wanted to see his wife and kids again. "Let me out of here!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "I haven't seen my children in five years! I missed five years of their lives! I need to see them again!" He plead with the men, but they didn't sympathize with him.

They didn't care about him.

He was just a pawn in their game. They all were.

One of the men in helmets held the soldier down, but he struggled to free himself and that was it. That was the final straw. Damon watched in horror as a bullet pierced his skull and blood splattered all over the other hostages. His heart clenched as he thought about that man's family and how they would miss him. He felt the urge to vomit rising as flashbacks to the war returned, to all of the people he had killed, to all of the people that he had cared about who had been killed. This man had survived only to die now.

That could have been him if he hadn't listened to the man in the suit. His trust for him was growing by the minute.

Damon observed in complete and utter disgust as the men in helmets didn't stop there. They had to insure that he was dead. Sixteen shots to his chest insured his death. If there was any chance that he had survived the first blow, he was gone to the world now. He would never see his children again. They would grow up without a father. His wife would eternally wait for his arrival and never hear word of if her husband died of if he just left her.

He swallowed hard and blinked back the tears that threatened to fill his eyes. His jaw clenched tightly.

Even if he felt hopeless. Even if he didn't have any reason to be alive any longer. He didn't want to die.

"Take this as a warning." The man spoke in his mechanical voice. "For anyone who is contemplating rebellion." He turned to face the hostages. "Cooperate and you will live. Rebel and you will die."

_**'Please Remain Seated, **__**Your Number Is Coming.**_

_**Do Not Question These Commands.'**_

Marcel glared after Bonnie from the car as she headed into one of the most popular bars in town. Her desperation to find Damon sickened him. It caused him to feel jealous, angry, hateful, he just couldn't believe that the other man had come back. Most people that went to the war came back in a casket and he had hoped that the same would be true for Damon Salvatore.

He knew that it was sick to hope for someone to die. But, he had.

For years he had prayed to God that the other man would die in war so that he would no longer have any competition for Bonnie's affections. Now he was back and he could already tell that he was losing her.

Bonnie pulled her jacket tightly around her small frame as she headed into the bar. It was still raining hard and it was freezing out. She was determined though, and she wasn't going to stop searching until she knew that Damon was safe and sound. This was the first place to look. Anytime that he was angry at the world he would turn to drinking. Even back when he was underage. She was certain that he hadn't changed that much over the last five years.

Walking across the length of the establishment, she took a seat at the bar and waited for the bartender to greet her.

Green eyes roamed the room in hopes that Damon would be there drowning in the bottom of a bottle. Her eyes landed on the back of a man that was the same build as the man she was looking for, he had dark hair, and he was wearing a military uniform. Her heart jumped as she saw him and she moved to stand to her feet and hurry toward him, but then he turned around and her hope vanished. It wasn't him.

"What can I get for ya, miss?" The bartender asked, leaning against the bar top and smiling over at her.

He was an older man with a scruffy beard and a toothless grin. His accent was thick and it almost sounded like he had been testing samples all night.

"I'm actually just looking for someone." Bonnie explained.

"You too?" He sounded amazed by the news and this made Bonnie curious about who else had been missing. "You're the third lass who's come in here lookin' for someone tonight!"

"Really?" She wondered why he found this news to be so hilarious. This news was alerting to her and it further added to her suspicions that something more was going on. She had been getting terrible vibes all night and her Grams had always told her to trust her instincts. _'I have a really bad feeling about all of this... Where are you Damon...?'_

"Yeah."

"You don't seem too concerned about it." Bonnie pointed out.

The bartender shrugged his shoulders. "It's not really that strange, miss." He laughed some more. "First night back from the war has got ta be excitin' y'know? These fellas just want to drink and celebrate the fact that their still alive! I'm sure you've nothin' to worry about, your husband's probably fine."

A light blush painted her cheeks as he mentioned Damon being her husband. She knew that it was wrong of her on so many levels to even entertain the thought, but she didn't exactly mind it. In fact, when she was younger she had always assumed that she would marry him and start a family with him. _'But that was then... You are married to Marcel, Bonnie... Damon is only a friend...'_

"He's actually not my husband."

"Oh, I'm sorry miss." He smiled. "Your friend then?"

"Yeah." Bonnie chewed on her cheeks and reached into the pocket of her jacket to retrieve her wallet. Inside of her wallet was a photo of her and Damon in high school at his prom. They had taken goofy pictures together and she had always kept one of them in her wallet as a reminder of him. She didn't ever want to forget him. Pulling out the picture, she handed it to the man. "I know I'm probably overreacting, but I am really worried about him. Have you seen him?"

The bartender glanced over the photograph and then he said, "Ah!"

Her eyes shimmered with excitement and hope. She could tell that he recognized him.

"I most definitely remember this one." He laughed.

Bonnie couldn't understand why he was laughing so much. She assumed it had something to do with the alcohol she smelt on his breath. "Can you tell me where he went?"

"He was here 'bout an hour ago, drinkin' and ramblin' on 'bout how he just got home from the war to find out that the love of his life had moved on and was married with a kid now." The bartender explained. "Felt sorry for the fella. He was all broken up and it seemed like an awful situation..." His voice trailed off when he noticed that the woman sitting in front of him was now wearing a sorrowful look. Everything clicked in that instant and he felt terrible for saying what he said. "Sorry miss."

"It's fine." She forced a smile and tried to ignore the aching feeling in her chest. _'The love of his life...' _Those words had really stuck with her and she didn't think she would forget them anytime soon. "Do you have any idea where he went after talking to you?"

"He was drunk off his arse. Poor fella could barely walk. Said he was gonna head home and then he left out the back door to the alley."

Bonnie was shocked by this. The bartender had just allowed a drunk man who could barely walk to stumble out into the streets during the war? It was dangerous for someone sober to be walking around, let alone someone who was intoxicated. "And you just let him go?"

"He's not a child, miss. He's a soldier." He told her with a more serious tone. He could tell that she was really worried about the man's safety and he actually felt bad now for just letting him leave. "I figured he could take care of himself. Besides, he said he lived close by."

She wanted to believe that he had made it safely back to wherever he was staying. She wanted to share the same attitude as the bartender who seemed to think he was just drunk and passed out somewhere and he would be fine in the morning. She just couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it then that. Ever since she was little, Bonnie always got these sort of "premonitions" or "feelings" that she couldn't understand. Her Grams told her that it ran in the family and that whenever she had them she needed to trust them. And right now she had a feeling that Damon was in trouble. Not only that, but he was a part of something really big and something that was going to be bad for a lot of people.

Bonnie needed to find him.

Once she saw that he was alive and well then she would feel better.

"You said that other military men have gone missing as well?" Bonnie asked the man.

"Well yeah, but that's not uncommon sweetheart." Reaching out he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a little reassuring squeeze. He knew that she was worried about her "friend," but he really didn't see what the big deal was. He was probably fine. "I know your worried hon, but I'm sure he's fine. Wait til the morn. He'll turn up."

_**'I Wanted You, You Wanted More,**_

_**I Built This Life, And Now It Is Mine.'**_

His bare back was pressed against the metal of the table, it was cold on his skin. The men in masks had stripped him of his clothes and shackled him to one of the many tables in the room. They had shoved an IV into his arm and they were pumping some sort of liquid into his body. His mind was racing a million miles per hour as he tried to figure out what they were doing to him.

It was some sort of experiment. They were injecting him with all sorts of liquids and chemicals. He just didn't know what for.

Damon hissed out in pain as they shoved a needle into his arm and pumped another chemical into his veins. He could feel it rush through them, it was hot. The minute that it reached his heart he started to get woozy and he could barely keep his eyes open. His eyelids suddenly heavy and his body starting to tingle and feel numb. Turning his head to the side he saw that the man in the suit was watching him closely. Their eyes connected and he knew that they were still together in this.

Drool started to fall from his lips and pool beneath his head. He couldn't control his mouth.

His chin was gripped tightly and his head was moved so that he was staring directly up into the lights. There was another needle, only this time it was going right into his eye. Luckily, he couldn't feel it, but the situation was still horrifying. The needle was at least three inches long and they were injecting it directly into his brain.

Next, the man held up a scalpel and he started to carve into the flesh of Damon's exposed chest. Another man pumping more chemicals into his arm. He could no longer see, everything went black as his body started to convulse and his eyes rolled back into his head.

_**'Dreams Die Today.**_

_**Do You Call This Living, Really?'**_

Blue eyes opened slowly, his eyelids were heavy and his vision was blurred as he stared ahead. His body was numb, but he could feel a pressure on his arms and he could tell that two people were dragging him. He attempted to move his legs and walk for himself, but he couldn't. He couldn't feel his legs. He couldn't talk. All he could do was allow them to drag him by the arms and let out gurgling sounds as drool rolled down his chin.

He could barely make out a metal pod with a circular window in it. There were hundreds of them, but they were pulling him toward one in particular.

Another one of the men opened the contraption and the two men who were gripping his arms, lifted him up into the metal pod. Damon wanted to scream, he wanted to thrash around and tell them to let him go, but he couldn't do anything but comply to their wishes. He was powerless.

He watched as they attached needles connected to tubes to his arms and legs and they chained him into place. After they had finished whatever they were doing, they stepped out of the pod and closed the door behind them. Locking it to ensure that he would not be able to escape. All that he could do was stand there and stare through the small circular window at the faceless men who had captured him and pray that he would survive.

Pray that he would be free again.

He could feel something cold cover his feet and he found it strange that he wasn't capable of feeling pain, but he could still feel the chilly liquid cover his legs. His eyes were wide with shock and horror as water started to fill the pod. They were planning on drowning him. _'They said that if we did as we were told they wouldn't kill us! They are filling it with water! What the hell!? They are going to kill me!'_

As the water reached his waist he made a decision. He was going to accept his death.

There was no point to be scared of it when it would only be a release from the terrible life he had been handed. He had never truly been happy aside from when he was with Bonnie and now he had lost that too.

Water splashed against his chest and he thought to himself, _'Fuck it.'_

When the freezing cold water started to rise over his lips and rush into his nose, he breathed it in and started to choke. He couldn't lift his head to get away from the water due to whatever they had injected into his veins, so he was forced to sit there and allow the water to slowly suffocate him. Damon held his breath for as long as he could. His eyes wide open and staring through the water as it covered his head. They were fixated on his freedom. On the life that he could have had.

His chest was tightening and he could feel the pressure of the water all around him.

Minutes passed by and he felt light headed. He knew that he was running out of oxygen. His life was coming to an end and all that was flashing before his eyes was memories of a life that he regretted. He had done everything in his power to make it back after the war because he had some ridiculous hope in his mind that Bonnie would be waiting for him. That she would still love him. He should have known better when she never wrote him back. He should have known that no one could ever truly love him.

**_'Kol walked into their shared quarters and he fell down on his bunk, smirking over at Damon who was writing another love letter to the woman who never wrote him back. He didn't understand his obsession with Bonnie. So many other girls had thrown themselves at him since then arrived at the base, but he always stayed true to her. _**

**_"You writing that girl again, mate?" He asked._**

**_Damon's lips twisted up into a half grin and he continued to write, ignoring his friend. He knew that he was going to hassle him about it._**

**_"When are you going to realize that she's just not bloody well interested in you?"_**

**_"She is." He insisted._**

**_He always insisted that the woman loved him back, but as far as Kol could see that wasn't the case. "You keep saying that, but if she loved you back then she would have shown at the station. Or at the very least she would have wrote you back by now. It's been two years."_**

**_"You just want me to give up on her so that I can finally be your wing man." Damon said, staring over his shoulder at him and waggling his brow playfully. Kol didn't care about anyone like Damon cared for Bonnie. He just slept with girls, and he slept with them often. _**

**_"That." Kol agreed with a devious grin. "And this seriously can't be healthy for you. You gotta move on. What's that saying?" He asked with a raise of his brow. "There are plenty of fish in the sea, and by fish I mean lovely young ladies willingly throwing themselves at you, so what's so special about this Bonnie?"_**

**_"Everything." _**

**_"You're so cheesy, mate." Kol laughed at him and threw a pillow in his direction. Damon easily deflected the "attack" and started laughing. _**

**_"You just don't understand." Damon explained. "Bonnie has loved me through every shitty thing I've done. She's never tried to change me, she just loves me and accepts me for who I am."_**

**_"Then tell me this." He said with a grin, sitting up and leaning over to stare into blue eyes. "If she loves you so much then why hasn't she written you back?"_**

**_"She will."_**

**_The idea of Bonnie writing him back was the only thing that got him through all of the hardships he suffered in the war. It was what gave him that extra push to live just one more day in order to hear back from_ her.'**

All of the oxygen had left his lungs.

He was choking on the water and blood was filling the pod and blinding him as it poured from his lips.

_**Everyone Is Equalized. **__**See That Look In Their Eyes,**_

_**No More Vital Signs. They're Gone.**_

* * *

**Author's Note :**

**Hello everyone! I didn't get very many reviews/readers of the last chapter so I hope that everyone is still enjoying this fic because I am really enjoying writing it! Thank you so much to everyone who did leave reviews! I love hearing from you all and your opinions! :)) I'm curious what you all are thinking of this fic, what ideas/theories you have, if y'all want to see anything in particular happen, etc. Thank you all for all of the support! It means the world to me and it is what got me to add another chapter so quickly! **

**So, what do you all think that this group of men in masks are doing? Who do you think is in charge? What motive? What about Marcel what lengths did he go to in order to make his relationship work? What about Bonnie's feelings and Rebekah? I'd love so much to hear what y'all think!**

**Thank you so much for reading!  
**

**I love you all!**

**-Tracy Cook-**


	4. Chapter 4

**You'll Never Take Our Humanity**

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Bonnie x Damon, Hayley x Elijah

Warnings : There will be mentions of death, morbidity, graphic sex, alcohol, war, violence, suicide, etc. Do not read if these things bother you. This will be a very dark story. There will be vampires in this fic, but it is AU.

Rating: M

**Chapter Four**

_**'It's Been Seven Whole Days, Seven Whole Days,**_

_**Since You Paralyzed Me.'**_

_**'As the doctor approached the man, all that he could feel was overwhelming dread. The look on his face told him all that he needed to know. He had given up hope. He was calling it quits. He looked like he was sorry to tell him the news, but he wasn't sorry. This was half of a doctor's job. Delivering the bad news.**_

_**They had to desensitize themselves.**_

_**"I am so sorry." He told the man and his wife. "We tried everything that we could. His heart was just too weak, it couldn't sustain the surgery." He recited the words that he probably had memorized at this point. How many times a day did he tell people he was sorry? How many times a day did he make excuses for his lack of determination?**_

_**If he really wanted their son to be alive, he would be.**_

_**"His heart was not too weak! You are just a pathetic excuse for a doctor! I watched the whole thing, you gave up on him!" The man shouted at the doctor. Tears streaming down his cheeks as his wife buried her head in his shoulder and clung onto him for dear life. Her son was gone. **_

_**"I am aware that what the two of you are going through is devastating..." He told them sincerely. "And I truly am sorry for your loss. But I did not give up on your son. I fought until nothing more could be done to aid him. Despite what you may believe, I am sorry." With that he turned and walked away from the couple. The doctor wouldn't be told that he didn't try. He already had to carry the guilt of every death on his shoulders every day of his life.**_

_**His eyes were glued to the glass window that separated them from the surgical room. He had watched the entire surgery with anxiety and fear, and he knew what he saw. The doctor had fumbled with his tools and he had made a few mistakes. Then when he flat-lined they gave up too quickly. They didn't even try to bring him back. He would have been better off if he himself had performed the surgery like he had wanted.**_

_**His wife had told him that she would not allow him to do so.**_

_**But, if he had performed the surgery, their son would still be alive.**_

_**The woman was staring in horror as the lifeless body of her son lay sprawled out on the hospital table, gaping hole in his chest, his heart completely exposed. It was the most terrifying sight that a mother could witness and she felt her stomach turn and the need to vomit to arise. She couldn't stand it. She had wanted to watch the surgery, because she hoped to see him pull through. This was just torture.**_

_**"How could this happen?" She whimpered, her body convulsing and tears free falling. "He was only six years old! He had so much life to live! This should have happened to me instead! He was just a boy!"**_

_**"Don't worry sweetheart." He said. "Our son will still get to live a full and happy life."**_

_**"What the hell are you talking about!? He's gone!" She was crying and angry at him for even suggesting that their son would live to see another day. **_

_**"I will get our son back."**_

_**'Seven Whole Days, Seven Whole Days,**_

_**Since You Lost Your Fight.'**_

"Babe, you just have to get some sleep." Marcel tried to reassure his wife who was clearly worried about the missing man. She had been rolling around uncomfortably in bed since the moment they laid down to go to sleep. "Like the guy at the bar said, there is nothing you can do about it."

Bonnie rolled over in bed uneasily as she tried to ignore the feelings that she was having. Every time she closed her eyes, her mind filled with images of Damon in pain and she couldn't shake the feeling that he was being hurt somewhere. She knew that the man laying beside her thought that she was overreacting, but she couldn't stop the sickening feeling in her gut.

"Something really bad is going on, Marcel. I can feel it." She breathed out shakily, clinging tightly to her pillow and staring at the wall of their bedroom.

Marcel gently traced his fingers over her stomach as he pulled her body closer to his. "Nothing bad is going on." He said with a small laugh, which caused the petite woman to tense beneath his touch. She hated that he didn't have faith in her. The truth was, he did trust her instincts, and he hoped that she was right about Damon being in danger. "The guy's just acting out because he realized that he can't have you."

"How do you know he wants me?" As Bonnie questioned him, her heart started to race in her chest and she hoped that he wouldn't feel it. She did love Marcel. After all of the years that he had spent with her, helping her, she cared deeply for him. _'After all of these years without contacting me...Why would Damon come back and want me now?'_

He grinned. "Like it isn't obvious? The way that he ran out of here when he saw us together, then went and got wasted at the bar? That's a man in love."

Again Bonnie's heart sped up as she heard the words. She felt so guilty for allowing them to excite her. She was married to a man that she loved, she had a child, she shouldn't get excited when she heard that Damon was in love with her.

Marcel nuzzled his chin against Bonnie's shoulder and he placed a loving kiss against her jawline. She smiled at the contact, but she didn't start to relax. She didn't feel like she could trust her husband lately. She felt like he knew a lot more than he was admitting to. "I know you're worried, but trust me. Come tomorrow he'll show up, admit he was a total jackass, and things will be fine."

He hoped that he was wrong.

He hoped Damon never came back.

She chewed on her full bottom lip. "I just have a really bad feeling that he won't."

Bonnie's entire body tensed as she once again thought about losing the man she loved for a second time. He had just returned and now he was missing and she hadn't even had the chance to sit down and have a proper conversation with him. _'Or hug him... I just want to hug him so tight and never let him leave again... God... Where are you, Damon?'_

"You're just anxious, babe. Trust me. He'll show up." He pulled her body even closer to his and nuzzled into her. Marcel loved the way that Bonnie's body felt against his. It was a perfect fit.

She knew that she should feel comfortable in his warm embrace, but there was something about the way he had been acting lately that made her feel like she shouldn't be. Like she couldn't trust him. Like everything that their relationship had been built on had been a lie. Bonnie hated herself for thinking this way, because she always liked to give people the benefit of the doubt, she just didn't know if she should any longer.

After everything that they had been through she felt disgusted with herself for doubting in him. He had been the one to pick up the pieces after Damon left. He had been the one to comfort her and never ask for more than she was willing to give. He loved her through all of the hard times over the last five years and she owed him the benefit of the doubt.

He was acting strange, certainly. But, it was probably just jealousy.

Bonnie couldn't blame him for being jealous of Damon.

_**'Her entire body was shaking as she pulled her jacket tightly around her and she stared at the door in front of her, waiting for someone to answer. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she couldn't seem to make them stop. Bonnie Bennett hated showing emotions, especially in front of people, but for a week now she had been hiding away from everyone, including Grams, crying in secret, and she needed to talk to someone. She needed to admit to the guilt that she felt for missing the train.**_

**_As she lie in bed all she could think about was what was going through Damon's head as the train departed. How for the last week he had felt like Bonnie hated him so much that she didn't show at the station._**

**_That she didn't care to see him before he went off to war and probably died._**

**_The thought of Damon dead caused her chest to tighten painfully and the tears to start falling harder then before. _**

**_Bonnie knew that Marcel had a crush on her. It had been blatant and Damon had teased her about it on numerous instances, but she didn't know where else to turn. She didn't want to talk to Grams about it because she was worried about what she would say, and she didn't really have any friends. Her only friend had always been Damon. All of the other kids at school didn't really talk to her. So, he was her only option._**

**_The door opened and Marcel's smile hastily turned to a frown as he asked, "Bon, what happened? Are you okay?"_**

**_His use of the nickname that Damon had always used caused her crying to intensify. She was wheezing loudly and shaking due to the chill of the wind hitting against her face. She was already regretting coming over. Marcel thought that she was weak and pathetic and she didn't like that feeling. She didn't want to bother him with her problems._**

**_"I didn't know where else to go. I'm so sorry." She said through sobs. "I shouldn't be here."_**

**_"Don't be silly." Marcel smiled and pushed the door open wider so that she could walk into the house. "Come on in."_**

**_She followed him into the house, still unable to stop the tears as they rolled down her cheeks. She hated showing such vulnerability, but every time she managed to force the tears away she would imagine Damon on the battlefield being killed and they would return. She couldn't stop thinking about him dying and never seeing him again._**

**_Marcel led the way through the house to the living room couch, then he signaled for her to take a seat. She did as she was instructed and sat on the couch. He sat opposite of her and stared at her with concerned eyes. _**

**_He cared about her._**

**_She knew that._**

**_He reached out and placed one of his large hands over her small delicate one, and he offered it a small and reassuring squeeze. Bonnie welcomed the comfort that came with the contact. It was nice to know someone was there for her. She felt so lost and alone without Damon around. Anytime she had a bad night she would just call him up and he would always show to help. But he was gone now. _**

**_"What's going on?" Marcel asked in a soft tone of voice. He didn't want to startle the poor girl._**

**_"I-I..." Her voice cracked and trailed off as she tried to think of a way to explain what was going on. "I lost someone I care about... He left for the war and I didn't make it!" As she reached the final words, Bonnie's voice heightened and filled with frustration and hatred. She hated herself for missing the train. She hated herself for fighting with him the last day that he was home. "I didn't make it in time to send him off!" _**

**_She started to cry and wheeze loudly and Marcel reached out and pulled her into a tight hug, her head buried in his chest and her tears staining his jacket. She was so embarrassed that she was crying on him. _**

**_"Shh..." He whispered. "It's alright. I got you."_**

**_"I just needed to say goodbye." She whimpered. "I needed to! What if he dies?!" She cried loudly._**

**_He ran a soothing hand through her hair as he waited for her to calm a bit before speaking. He didn't want to push her to talk to him while she was crying. Slowly, the sobbing started to calm and she was taking in shaky breaths as she clung onto him tightly and tried to control her tears._**

**_"Do you need to talk about it?" Marcel wondered._**

**_"No." She didn't want to talk about it. "I just need to be around someone right now."_**

**_"Alright." He smiled. "I got you."_**

Marcel pressed his lips to Bonnie's shoulder and he rested his chin against it, smiling and whispering reassuringly. "Don't worry, Bon. I got you."

It should have made her feel better like it had that night. This time it only made her feel uneasy.

_**'I Can't Get The Last Words That You Said,**_

_**Can't Get Those Words Out Of My Head.'**_

_**'The woman's eyes were wide as she stared at the back of her husband's head. He had been working on something for weeks down in the cellar and she had needed to find out what. What she found was more horrifying than she could have ever imagined. He was wearing rubber gloves that were covered in the blood of their son. He was standing over his dead body, that was laying on a hospital table, with all sorts of tubes and IV's injected into his corpse.**_

_**His chest was once again cut open and his heart was exposed. This was the second time that she had to witness her dead son's bleeding heart and it made her physically ill.**_

_**There were metal rods sticking out of his heart, connected to wires, with bursts of electricity going through them every few minutes. It was terrifying. Something straight out of a horror film. **_

_**Her lips parted in shock when her husband turned to face her. Lifting his bloodstained hands and smiling proudly at her. He looked so proud of what he had done, despite the blood of their son that had splattered all over his face.**_

_**"I told you I was going to get our son back."**_

_**"You have the blood of our son all over your hands and face! You dug up the body of our precious boy to perform experiments on him?" She shuddered in disgust. All she had wanted after they buried him was for her son to rest in peace. This was the furthest thing from peace. "How is this going to get our son back!?"**_

_**He took a step toward her and tried to comfort her but she pulled away from him. She didn't want any part in this. "I've been working on a procedure that will give someone eternal life, darling. If I could just get his heart to start beating for a few more minutes, then I could finish it! We will have our son forever! He will never die again!" **_

_**"You sound like a madman!" She cried.**_

_**"No, I am not mad! I am a genius!"**_

_**"You are mad!" The woman spat. "This is our son! All that we had left of him was to give him a proper burial and to pray for his soul! Now we can't even give him that!"**_

_**"There will be no need!" Her husband insisted. "Don't you understand? If this works, we will have our son back!"**_

_**"He will not be our son anymore..." **_

**_'And I Can't Get Away From The Burning Pain, I Lie Awake,_**

**_And The Fallen Hero Haunts My Thoughts, _**

**_How Could You Leave Me This Way?'_**

_'Ring. Ring. Ring.' _

With every ring her hope diminished and her stomach tightened. She just wanted to hear from Rebekah and know that everything was alright. She had been gone for nearly seven hours and she hadn't called her back since she said she was going to go and check at the cafe down the street. Now, not only her husband was missing, but so was her best friend.

"Hello, you've reached Rebekah. I can't get to the phone at the moment, but please leave your name and number and I will return your call-"

_'Click.'_

Hayley hung up the phone and she threw it down on the couch, dragging her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms tightly around them. She had called Rebekah at least fifty times over the last few hours and she didn't know why she wasn't answering her calls. It was making her even more apprehensive that something was going on. Why else wouldn't she answer her calls and tell her she was safe? She has to know that she was worried.

She had spent the entire night awake watching the news and caught between hoping to see something about her husband and hoping to not see something. On one hand she wanted to see something about him if it was good news, but not if it was bad news. She couldn't sleep without knowing that Elijah was safe and sound. It wasn't the same lying in bed without his strong arms wrapped around her, holding her tight. She missed him.

And now Rebekah was missing too.

Elizabeth was still sleeping. After she had fallen asleep, Hayley had carried her to her room and tucked her in. Then she had returned to the living room, turned on the news, and watched it closely. At some point during the evening she had tried to call the police and ask them to file a missing persons report, but they said that it was too soon.

They didn't sound concerned in the slightest and it upset her. She knew that some men would stay out all night drinking, or cheating on their wives. But, this wasn't some man. This was her husband and she knew him better than anyone else. He would never do something like that. He was loyal and he would have called if something wasn't wrong.

Her eyes were locked on the television screen, hands shaking nervously as she waited for the daily obituaries.

It was the moment she had been dreading.

They no longer had newspapers like they had when she was a child, now everything was digital. And there were so many deaths that they no longer came to the door to tell you if your husband or wife died in war, they didn't send out a personal letter, every morning they posted a picture of the casualties on the television with their name beside it. She supposed that people wanted to separate themselves from death as much as possible. It was easier this way.

Hayley had never really worried about seeing Elijah's face on the obituaries. Because, he had not been in the war. Many people died in the war times going to the supermarket, or to work, but usually the people were soldiers.

She just thought his chances were higher.

Suddenly, the program was interrupted by a loud sound. It was the sound that informed people that there was breaking news. This day in age that could be bombings or other countries infiltrating the city and attacking, but today it was an accident. She sat up straight and stared at the television as her heart started to pound in her ears and her body went numb.

"We regret to bring you tragic news this morning." The news anchor said. She sounded uncaring and despondent. Separated from the thought of death as everyone else. "Last night, one of the power plants outside of Original Corp. had a meltdown. Many toxic chemicals were released into the air inside of the plant, as well as the area surrounding it. There were nearly two-hundred casualties and counting, as well as many people who were injured and may have prolonged side-effects due to the toxins."

There was a lump building in her throat as she watched the television. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, it was tingling and numb, and her heart was so loud that she could barely hear what the woman was saying. She felt like she knew what was coming. It was too big of a coincidence that Elijah had not returned from work the night prior and now there was a meltdown at his place of employment.

_'He shouldn't have been working there... He only worked there for me and our daughter...'_

She still had no proof that her husband was gone and she wasn't willing to believe it until she saw it with her very own eyes. Still, she felt sick and lightheaded like she was going to pass out.

"He can't be..." Hayley couldn't even bring herself to say the word dead. Her voice was raspy with emotion and her hands and legs were shaking as tears threatened her eyes. Just the thought that Elijah could possibly be dead was enough to break her. "He wasn't at the plant... He was at the office." She tried to convince herself that there was no way.

The names and faces of the people who had died started to show up on the screen and her chest tightened. She couldn't breath. She wouldn't breath until they were finished with all two-hundred.

As the names and faces passed, she recognized quite a few of them as men and women who worked with Elijah. It made her feel guilty when she was relieved that it was them instead. She was not a hateful person and she didn't want to admit it, but deep down every time a face showed up on the screen she was happy it wasn't Elijah. Hayley knew that no one deserved to die, and she wished more than anything that no one ever had to die, but in their world death was too prevalent.

She could barely recall learning in her History classes in college about a time that everyone was nearly happy. War was still a part of society, it always had been, but people were equal and they were able to do anything that they wanted without fear. Without death. She often wished she was born in that time period.

_'He has to be alive...' _She thought, digging her nails deep into the skin of her arms as she stared intently at the screen. Waiting. _'He has to be...'_

Tears started to fall from her eyes as she waited. She couldn't hold them back any longer. She had a bad feeling all night that something like this had happened, and now there had been a meltdown at the plant and she was terrified. She couldn't help but imagine a world without Elijah. A world where she didn't get to greet him after work with a kiss, where their kids grew up without a father.

All at once Hayley's heart stopped beating.

She lost all of the breath from her lungs. An overwhelming flood of tears falling from her eyes as she witnessed a photograph of Elijah on the screen of the television. It was from his first day of work at the Corp. He had a smile on his face and his hair combed back. He looked so proud of himself and happy to be able to support his family.

Next to his photograph was his name.

Hayley felt the baby in her stomach kick away angrily at her insides, and she couldn't hold it in any longer. The sick feeling that she had all night waiting for Elijah. The feeling that he was never coming back and the realization that he really was never coming back, caused her to keel over and vomit all over the ground. She vomited again and again as her stomach lurched back and forth.

"Mommy..." A soft and worried voice called from across the room.

She glanced up, wiping the vomit from her mouth, her entire body shaking as she saw their daughter standing in the hallway holding her stuffed bunny in her arms. Elijah had won her the bunny at the festival. She had spent the whole night crying about how she wanted a pink bunny and he had finally won her one of them. She had been so happy as she hugged her daddy and told him she loved him.

The sight of the bunny only caused Hayley to cry louder.

She knew that she needed to contain herself. She needed to be strong in front of Elizabeth, but she couldn't be. She had no strength left.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Her daughter asked, moving quickly toward her. She hated to see her mother cry.

What was she supposed to tell her? How do you tell your daughter that their father is gone and never coming back? How do you tell your daughter that he will never read her another story before she goes to bed? How do you explain something that you don't even understand yourself?

Elizabeth looked worried as she asked. "Where's daddy...? You said he'd be here when I woke up."

_**'It's Been Seven Whole Days, Without Your Embrace.**_

_**I Want To See Your Face, I've Got Some Things To Say.'**_

Marcel couldn't swallow what he was hearing. His wife was once again planning to head out early and search for Damon. They had just woken up, and he was sipping on his coffee and watching the news and she was already putting on her jacket and planning to head out. It was like he was her only concern. "I can't believe you are still hung up on this!" He shouted angrily.

"You can't believe I'm still hung up on it?" Bonnie questioned. She knew that he was just feeling threatened, but of course she was going to look for him again. "Seriously?! My best friend stumbled out into the streets, drunk, during the war, wearing his military uniform, and I'm supposed to just let it be and do nothing!?"

"Yes!" He groaned out, throwing his hands in the air. "I swear sometimes your problem is that you care too much about people! He hasn't talked to you in five years, what makes you think he isn't just avoiding you now?"

"Even if he is, I can't just let him be if there is a chance he isn't. I have to know he is safe. Then if he wants nothing to do with me that's his decision."

"Bonnie, this is getting ridiculous!" He took a step toward her and she took a step back, clenching her jaw tightly and lifting her chin. She was much smaller than him, but she was confident in herself. She was standing by what she believed in. "The man's been missing for less than twenty hours, he can take care of himself, he doesn't need you!"

Green eyes filled with anger at her husband. He should be supporting her decisions and helping her find her friend, not telling her she was ridiculous and yelling at her. Jealous or not, it wasn't fair to her. She was really worried. "Yes, he does need me." She ran her hands through dark hair and dug her nails into her scalp. She couldn't explain why this was so important to her, but it was. "For all I know, he could be out there laying in the street dead!"

"Oh, don't be so over-dramatic! He's not dead!"

Bonnie's eyes were fixated on something behind Marcel and she wasn't paying attention to what he was saying anymore. Her lips were parted and her body felt weak as she started to sway on her feet. Her knees wobbly and her skin numb. Her stomach twisting in knots. She didn't want to believe what she was seeing. She refused to believe it.

"What is it?" He asked in an annoyed tone. She was ignoring him now.

She couldn't speak. Her heart was visibly breaking as she crumbled to her feet. She felt like her entire world had fallen apart all over again. For so many years she had convinced herself that Damon never wrote to her because he had died, it was the only way she managed to get over him. Then he showed up out of nowhere and she had all of her feelings return to the surface. Feelings of loving him, memories of their time together back before he left for the war, and hope returned. Hope that she would have him in her life again.

Now she had lost him all over again and she couldn't handle the intensity of the pain anymore. She couldn't handle it.

This couldn't be happening again.

Bonnie would never get the opportunity to hold him in her arms again and explain to him why she was late. She would never get to tell him that she had tried to see him off, that she had always hoped he would write, that she had always loved and cared for him.

Marcel's eyes filled with concern for his wife as she started to shake on the floor. She had gone from angry with him to a broken mess in a matter of seconds. "What's going on?" He asked, turning to look behind himself at the television. On the screen was a picture of Damon Salvatore wearing his military uniform, with his name written beside the photograph.

He couldn't contain the small smile that tugged at his lips. But, he quickly pushed it away. No matter how pleased he was with the news he didn't want to see the woman he loved in pain.

The mix of emotions that Bonnie was feeling in that moment were so overwhelming and confusing. She felt angry at herself, she felt angry at Marcel for insisting they give up looking the night before, she felt hurt, lost, alone, and devastated. She couldn't even cry in that moment. All she could do was clutch tightly to her chest and try to breath as she grew dizzy.

Damon was gone.

For years she had avoided watching the obituaries, and this had been the one time she had seen them.

The one time, and he was gone.

Marcel knelt to the ground and he attempted to pull Bonnie's weak body close to his so that he could comfort her. She didn't want him close to her though, she didn't want his comforting embrace. Because, right now it was the opposite for her. She blamed him for not letting her keep searching, for implying that she was crazy for being worried. She blamed him for losing Damon.

"Get off of me." She spoke in a low and monotone voice, stretching each word.

"Babe, please, let me help." He tried again. "I'm so sorry this happened."

Bonnie didn't believe his words. She didn't see honesty behind his eyes. She saw lies and deception, she saw a faint glimmer of relief in them and she hated him in that moment for it. "Why don't I believe you anymore?"

_**'I Can't Believe It's True, I Keep Looking For You,**_

_**I Check My Phone And wait To Hear From You.'**_

_**"No, No, this time I promise that my experiments were a success." The man explained to the General of the military. For years he had been working on creating eternal life and both sides of the war were very interested in transforming their men into "ultimate" soldiers. After he had failed at bringing his son back from the dead, his wife had left him, and he had delved further into his research. The experiments that he had first made were far too blood thirsty, they were killing-machines, but they were not tamed.**_

_**Now he believed that he had finally reached an equal balance. **_

_**Having his creatures on their side would insure the victory of whichever side of the war bought them. **_

_**"The last time that we came, your monsters slaughtered three of my men." The General reminded with a scowl on his lips. **_

_**"That will not happen again, sir." He insisted. "I promise. I have worked out the kinks." The man cringed whenever the General called his creatures "monsters," they were not monsters to him, they were his children. His creations.**_

_**"I hope for your sake that is true."**_

_**"Come." He smiled and eagerly led the way into the cellar where he was keeping the creatures in cages. "See for yourself."**_

_**There were at least twenty of the creatures in the cages and the General looked over them. They had the outward appearance of a human, but they had been cut up and stitched back together so many times that scars covered their bodies. The only thing that really set them apart from the human race was a pair of fangs that they had. They looked sharp and lethal, but they didn't appear to be as powerful as the man claimed. **_

_**"I guarantee you that these are the ultimate soldiers you have been looking for." The man told him.**_

_**"They just look like men with fangs."**_

_**He laughed at the accusation and quickly walked across the room, opening the door and releasing a lion that was chained by the neck. The lion could still fend for himself, but he could not reach either of them. "A man with fangs, superhuman strength and speed, and the ability to never die." He grinned proudly. His wife had left and everyone had given up on him, but he had finally succeeded. "Let me demonstrate for you."**_

_**Walking over to one of the cages, he opened it and let one of the creatures out.**_

**_In the blink of an eye, the creature had climbed up the side of the brick wall and he had flipped over and pinned the lion down on the ground, tearing it's head clean off it's shoulders before devouring it. The man did not stop once he had drained it of it's blood, he continued to eat it. Like an animal. Like a monster._**

**_"This is what you have been working on!?" The general shouted, his eyes wide. "You want to turn my men into these... abominations?" He spat the word in disgust, then turned to start to walk out of the cellar. "I am done with your nonsense."_**

**_The man angrily threw his hands in the air. "Do not call my children abominations!"_**

**_"Your children?" He spat. "You are just as deranged as them!" He continued to walk away, and the man reached out to grab onto the general. He needed him to stay and see the benefits of his creations. He needed him to praise him for his hard work and tell him it was worthwhile. _**

**_"Please, just give me one more chance."_**

**_"Get off of me!" The General pushed him back and the man in the suit stumbled over his feet and fell on the ground._**

**_Suddenly, the creature's head snapped up and his eyes fixed on the General. They were dark red and he had veins rising beneath the skin of his cheeks. His face and body was covered in blood and he cocked his head to the side. Sights on him. Like a predator locking onto it's prey._**

**_The man stood to his feet and wiped the dust from his suit, a smirk on his lips as he watched his child defend him. Perhaps it was deranged of him, but he liked that they cared about him like they did. He had made them with that in mind. "You should not have pushed me. I fear they are still quite temperamental when it comes to people causing me harm."_**

**_"You're his father! Call him off!" _**

**_"I'm afraid I can't."_**

**_"Why not?"_**

**_"It's-" He started to explain, but he didn't ever get the chance. The creature sped forward and within a matter of seconds his head had been tore clean off and he lay on the ground dead. The creature leaning over him and eating his flesh. _**

**_"Too late." He finished in a whisper._**

**_'Was Just A Week Ago. You Said I Love You Girl,_**

**_I Said, I Love You More.'_**

* * *

**Author's Note :**

**I AM SO HAPPY WITH ALL OF THE REVIEWS! Oh my god I LOVED hearing from all of you and your opinions and I am just really happy that y'all are enjoying my fic! It means the world to me! :)) As for this chapter, it was a bit gruesome and I am sorry if that bothered anyone, but hopefully it is helping to fill in some blanks! What do y'all think is going on? What about the explosion and Hayley/Bonnie? What do you think the man is going to do with Damon and Elijah? Who is the man? What about Marcel? **

**I'd love so very much to hear your thoughts and what you guys want to see in the future?! More flashbacks perhaps? I really hope no one is upset about the pace of this story. I know there is a lot of background, but I am really loving writing it! I promise lots of romance in the future! :))**

**Thank you all so much for reading!**

**I love you all!**

**-Tracy Cook-**


	5. Chapter 5

**You'll Never Take Our Humanity**

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Bonnie x Damon, Hayley x Elijah

Warnings : There will be mentions of death, morbidity, graphic sex, alcohol, war, violence, suicide, etc. Do not read if these things bother you. This will be a very dark story. There will be vampires in this fic, but it is AU.

Rating: M

**Chapter Five**

_**'Sleeping Off The Last Five Years, Will Take Another Five.'**_

All that could be heard was the sound of footsteps echoing off of the corridor walls as the two men in suits walked down into the cellar. There had been talk for years about a madman who was experimenting with the concept of eternal life. The concept had been sought after by both sides of the military, yet they had turned him down on numerous accounts because the creatures that he had invented were far too blood-thirsty and violent. They didn't want to turn their soldiers into "monsters."

Not everyone thought of this as a problem though.

He did not think of this as a problem. He wanted to not only purchase the men to help aid him, but he also wanted the scientist to transform him into one of the eternal beings. For, what was the purpose of having an eternal artillery if he himself was not eternal?

Honestly, he thought that the military were utterly stupid for not taking the opportunity. Who cared if they were "monsters," the thought of eternal life was far more enticing then the consequences. And when taking over the world who wasn't a monster already? What was the difference between slaughtering and eating men, and blowing them to pieces with a grenade?

He saw no difference.

It had taken all of his money to purchase the treatment and the soldiers, but he didn't mind going bankrupt. In the end it would be worth it. Neither side would see it coming. No one would see it coming. He would finally have the power that he had always craved. He would control everything.

"This batch is my most recent, and I assure you that they far proceed my original prototype." The madman announced as they walked into a large room with glass walls. The glass could not be broken and it was the safest place that they could be for releasing his children. He had learnt his lesson after the last time. And even though he thought that this batch would be different, in science you never truly knew until you tested your hypothesis.

"How so?" He wondered curiously, peering through the glass at the hundreds of pods below. This information worried him a bit. He wanted them to be as violent as he had heard.

"They are still eternal beings." He assured with a smile and a nod toward him. "No worries there." Returning his attention to his children he added. "They are still loyal as well, you shall have no problems when it comes to controlling them."

"Good."

"The only difference is that this batch has more freewill than the previous batches. They can think for themselves, they still have a conscience, thus they are not quite as blood-thirsty." He informed. "The fact that they feel guilt when they slaughter someone causes them to second-guess their nature."

"Freewill and less blood-thirst is far from a positive for me, Mikael." His voice shook with frustration. The entire reason for purchasing the soldiers was so that they would obey him and kill whomever he wished. He did not want them to second-guess their actions or rebel against him.

"You have nothing to worry about, Nik." Mikael assured. It felt like he was fighting a losing battle. When he attempted to sell the men to the military they had told him they were too blood-thirsty, and now Niklaus was telling him they weren't blood-thirsty enough. "I guarantee if you tell them exactly what I told you to tell them, they will listen and kill whomever you wish."

"They had better." He growled under his breath. Niklaus had already invested everything he owned into this.

"They will."

_**'When It All Comes Down, I Can Show You Something You Won't Believe,**_

_**When It All Comes Down, We Are Going To See A Real Masterpiece.**_

How ironic was it that Damon Salvatore spent five long years in an unbeatable war, survived every day of near-death experiences, only to die the way that he had? Drunk, stumbling around town, heartbroken. It didn't seem right. It didn't seem fair. Bonnie simply could not wrap her head around it. None of it was adding up.

People had tried to explain what had happened to her, they had tried to make sense of it, but in actuality it just didn't make sense. The bartender had told her that Damon told him he was heading home, which was apparently close by, and yet he had wound up all the way on the other side of the Precinct near the power plant somehow. Less than two hours separated the time of the explosion and the time that Damon left the bar. How had he stumbled that far? Had someone taken him there?

What was the reason behind so many of the soldiers being near the plant?

Were they meeting up there for a specific reason? Had someone from the opposing military taken them all there? Was that the reason for the explosion in the first place? Was it war related?

There were just too many unanswered questions and Bonnie Bennett didn't like the feeling that she was getting. She was feeling like something was missing from the equation. Like this was all some sort of government cover-up and that it had happened on purpose. When she had spoken with Marcel about her worries he had told her that it was common to think such things when grieving someone. He had pretty much made her feel like she was just making things up in her head.

Maybe she was?

At this point she didn't know anything.

She didn't trust anyone. Not even her own husband.

Glancing down, she watched as Marcel traced his thumb lovingly over the back of her hand. He was attempting to comfort her and keep her warm despite the freezing cold wind. She couldn't feel the chill against her skin though. She was completely numb. She was sitting in the cemetery immersed in a mass of people all wearing black. Some people were crying, others were angry, and some were like her, completely numb. None of them could accept what had happened.

For some of them, like Bonnie, the people that they loved had just returned home from the war. They had seen them or they were planning to see them, and all of their fear of losing them on the battlefield had diminished only to lose them now. For others their loved ones were working at the plant and they were doing the best by their families, only to be gone in an instant.

Everyone was broken. She could feel everyone's pain. It was suffocating.

Bonnie's body felt heavy and weak. She hadn't wanted to even get out of bed to go to the memorial, but she had to. She had to say goodbye to Damon and apologize for everything. She had hoped to do so in person. This was as close as she was going to get to doing that.

She had cried for so long that she didn't think she would ever cry again. She couldn't think, she couldn't feel her body. She was in complete shock. The man that she had loved was gone. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had always hoped that he would return, that she would see his half-smirk again, that she would get the chance to hold him again, and now that hope was gone.

He was gone.

And to make the situation worse, she felt like she was losing Marcel along with him.

She was starting to piece together a lot of things, and she was starting to lose her faith in him. She had always thought that he had been there to comfort her after Damon left with pure intentions. But, now she was noticing a lot of coincidences that made her doubt his intentions. Perhaps she was being irrational and trying to find someone to blame. That was what he suggested when she brought it up to him. That she was really angry with herself and she just wanted to take it out on him. But, no matter how many times she tried to accept that reasoning, she couldn't.

_'He's probably right... You are probably just being paranoid, Bonnie...' _She internally tried to convince herself.

Still, no matter how many times she tried to ignore the feeling tugging at her, she couldn't. Things were just too strange.

Marcel had blatantly told her that he didn't remember Damon from high school even though he had talked to the two of them numerous times back then. He and Damon had both been on the football team together and she had seen the two of them talking many times when she was there cheering Damon on. They had been in the same graduating class for Christ's sake. She just couldn't believe that five years was long enough to forget someone like that.

Bonnie could still remember every person in her graduating class, even the people she had never spoken to.

This wasn't the only thing that was causing her to feel suspicious toward her husband though. If that was all, then she would just drop it. But, there were far too many coincidences.

Like the way that Marcel had shown up that night when she was on the way to the train station. At the time she had been in such a hurry that she hadn't really thought about how odd it was that he was out and about so late at night in the rain. She had just wanted to get past him and make it to see Damon in time. That had been all she cared about. Now though, she couldn't stop reliving every memory and she was starting to wonder if him being there had been intentional on his part.

If he had been lying about remembering Damon, then maybe he knew him better than she knew? Maybe he knew about him leaving for the military and he had shown up with the intention to stop her from seeing him on time? If Marcel hadn't shown at that exact moment, then she would have made it.

She would have seen Damon off.

Bonnie would have had the opportunity to hold him and wish him luck and tell him to write her. Then maybe he would have. Maybe he would have told her to wait for him to get home so they could be together?

She would have waited for him.

The week after she missed the train had been the hardest week of her life, she didn't speak with anyone about what she was feeling, she didn't tell anyone what had happened. And yet, somehow, Marcel knew to start texting her then. He started sending her messages saying that he wanted to hang out with her, that he was worried about her, that he hoped she was okay.

At the time, Bonnie had thought that he was intuitive and that he had somehow sensed that she was in trouble. After all she had the ability to sense when people were in trouble. But, now she thought that it was more than that. Maybe he had known that she missed the train? Maybe he had planned for her to miss the train on purpose? Maybe that was why he started texting her? So that when she was finally so vulnerable that she needed to speak with someone she would go to him.

_'Okay... That isn't possible... No one could plan all of that, you are starting to sound crazy with your conspiracy theories.' _She internally reminded herself. _'First you think the government is responsible for this and Damon isn't really dead, and now you are thinking that Marcel sabotaged everything so that you two would get together... You've lost it.'_

Bonnie cast her eyes over at her husband, catching his eyes and watching as he smiled at her. The concern that she saw written across his face made her feel guilty for even suspecting him. It was wrong of her. He had been there through thick and thin for her and she trusted him.

_'He loves me... This isn't his fault.'_

"I'm so sorry, babe." Marcel said, with a gentle squeeze of her hand. He really did hate to see her in so much pain.

Bonnie forced a smile as the tears returned to her eyes. She had been convinced that she had already cried as much as she possibly could, yet she was crying again. She didn't know if the pain was ever going to go away.

Sheila moved around in her other arm and lent her head against her chest, nuzzling against her mother. She was too young to understand what was going on. She was still too innocent to comprehend the concept of death. Not that Bonnie herself could comprehend it. One minute you were alive and smiling, the next you were dead and buried beneath the ground. It was a terrifying and heartbreaking concept that no one should ever have to face.

Beside her, she could hear someone sobbing loudly and she turned to see the woman.

Her stomach flipped when she witnessed a young woman who was visibly pregnant crying loudly into her hands as her daughter held onto her and asked her over and over if she was okay. It was the most devastating thing that Bonnie had ever witnessed. The poor woman had lost everything over night. She had lost the father to her children, she had lost the love of her life. Now she was alone and pregnant and had nothing to look forward to.

Out of instinct, Bonnie reached out and ran a comforting hand over the stranger's back. She sympathized with others, sometimes more than she should, and she could tell that the other woman was shattered.

She had no hope left.

The girl looked up at her and her eyes were full of tears, her cheeks stained with them. She hadn't stopped crying since she heard the news.

Bonnie didn't have to say anything to explain her actions. The other woman could tell that she too had lost someone important by the tears that stained her cheeks. She too had lost someone she loved. She offered her a smile, grateful for the attempted comfort. Even though it did little to help, it did make her feel like she was not all alone.

_**'If I Had A Choice, Don't You Think I'd Make It?**_

_**I Lost My Voice, Hope I Didn't Break It.'**_

"If anyone has any final words to say to their loved ones, now is the time to do so." The priest said with a sorrowful tone of voice.

Bonnie and Hayley both made their way toward Damon and Elijah's caskets. This was their last chance to say goodbye. Neither of them were prepared for the fresh wave of emotions that passed through them as they reached the caskets. It was like every step of the way they were once again hit with the reality that Damon and Elijah were gone.

That they would never return again.

Hayley had asked Marcel if he would watch Elizabeth for her while she went and said goodbye to her husband. She knew that on some level it was selfish for her to not allow their daughter the chance to say goodbye. But, she wasn't ready to let her. She didn't want her to have to. It wasn't fair to her. No one should have to say goodbye to their father at such a young age.

Marcel was waiting patiently with the children as he watched Bonnie say goodbye to Damon. He knew that she would need to say her goodbyes alone. They were personal and private. And he could accept that she loved him and that she wanted to have this time with him, because they would never spend time together again. He was no longer a threat. He was gone.

"Hello." Elizabeth said, looking over at Sheila.

"Hi." The younger of the two said with a wide smile. She didn't know what was going on or understand that she wasn't supposed to be happy. It was all very confusing for both of the little girls.

"Mommy said she has to go and say goodbye to daddy. She said he's not coming back for a while." She tried to explain. "She's been crying a lot."

Sheila responded with, "My mama lost her friend."

"I'm sorry." Elizabeth said.

"I'm sorry too."

Silence filled the air between the two of them as Elizabeth watched her mother lay her head on the casket and scream loudly. She didn't know why she was so sad. She had said that daddy would always be there with her. "I really hope daddy comes home soon so mommy won't be sad anymore."

Marcel was feeling overwhelming guilt as he listened in on the girls' conversation. He had wished for Damon to be dead for so many years that he never realized how selfish he was being until right now. It was one thing to be happy about his death. Though, it was still wrong, he knew it was wrong. But, to be happy about the explosion was terrible. How could he be happy about it when the poor little girl had lost her father? The hope that the little girl had that she would see her father again broke his heart.

He chewed on his bottom lip and looked toward Bonnie who was crying loudly and apologizing for being late. She was apologizing for not making it to the station in time, for not being there for him when he needed her the most.

His chest tightened painfully.

The guilt was starting to really get to him. The lengths that he had gone to in order to make Bonnie his were starting to make him feel terrible. He had done so many things over the last five years to ensure they would end up together and now he was watching his wife blame herself for them.

"I'm sorry." Marcel's head snapped in the direction of the voice. It was the woman who had asked him to watch her daughter while she said her goodbyes. "I hope that it wasn't too much of a bother asking you to watch Elizabeth for me."

"No, it wasn't a bother at all." He insisted with a genuine smile.

The woman glanced down and noticed the two year old who was wearing a little dress and had her hair in braids. She was adorable. "Is that your daughter?"

"Yeah." He said.

"She's adorable." Tears returned to her eyes as she started to think about her own daughter and how she was going to grow up without a father. How she would never see her husband again. She didn't know if she'd ever make it through a day again without thinking about it.

"So is your daughter." He wanted to help make her feel better. But, how could he? How did you help someone who lost everything?

Bonnie walked toward the group and she felt her stomach twist as she overheard the conversation. She could feel the woman's pain radiating off of her and she felt terrible for her. She felt terrible in general. So many people had gathered today and they had all lost someone important, someone they loved, it was a tragedy. And the worst part was that no one would care.

Death was too prevalent in their world that no one would even notice these few deaths. They would come and go and Bonnie would have to live with the pain of missing Damon for the rest of her life. The woman standing before her would have to find a way to raise her children and live for the rest of her life. The rest of the world would keep spinning, but theirs had stopped.

She offered the girl a small wave, which was returned. This was never how you wanted to meet someone.

"We should probably get going." The woman said with a hand on her daughter's back. Her voice was deep and raspy like she had been crying and screaming a lot. She probably had.

"Sorry for your loss." Bonnie told her sadly.

"Yours too."

_**'I Say Hello, And It's Goodbye Again.'**_

"This will be their first awakening." Mikael explained as he stared over at Niklaus. "So, it will take a few minutes before I can properly demonstrate their powers."

He nodded his head, his attention on the pods below. He was so curious about the creatures that were going to come out of them that he could hardly hear what the madman was saying. Inside of the pods he could see water and bodies floating around. His lips were curved up excitedly. Almost dementedly. Mikael was happy to see that the man was as enthusiastic as he was about his children.

"I am preparing to release them." He said, hand on a lever. "Tell them what I told you to tell them and I assure you they will obey."

Niklaus watched with eager eyes as the water began to drain from the pods. His heart was pounding quickly in his chest and his grip on the edge of the desk in front of them had intensified. He just wanted to see what he had invested everything in.

Once the water had drained, he cocked his head to the side and started to grow frustrated. The men inside of the pods weren't moving. They were dead. "They aren't moving." He spat.

"Be patient."

Inside of the pod, Damon was hanging from the chains and his eyes were shut. All that surrounded him was darkness and memories of his times with the people he loved. He could recall moments spent hanging out with Bonnie after school, times he spent with Stefan when they were children, times with Kol on the military base. He couldn't be sure if he was dead or alive. Were these memories part of his heaven? Was he in a coma?

Suddenly, his blue eyes snapped open and he took in a sharp breath of air. Wheezing out and coughing up water and blood as he came back from the dead.

Damon didn't understand what had happened. Last he knew he was being submersed in water and drowned to death, he passed out, and memories filled his mind, and now he was alive again. How was that possible? He had died. He was sure of it.

His entire body was convulsing as he tore the chains from the wall of the pod, snapping them like twigs. He didn't know where the strength had come from. He assumed it was due to the adrenalin pumping through his veins. When you were high on adrenalin people said that you could achieve strength that was humanly impossible.

Throwing himself at the door of the pod he tried to escape, but he couldn't break through it.

"Let me out!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, slamming his fists against the metal of the prison. He couldn't control the anger and hatred that he was feeling, it was overwhelming. He felt the urge to kill the man who had locked him in there. He wanted to find every man wearing a helmet and rip their heads clean off. His throat was aching and he couldn't get the thoughts of blood out of his head as he slammed against the door again and again, screaming for them to let him out.

Something was wrong with him. He couldn't seem to focus his eyes. Or rather, his eyes were focusing too well. And his ears were ringing loudly. Beside him he could hear the man in the pod next to him. The man in the suit screaming for help. All around him he could hear hundreds of men screaming and slamming against their containers.

_'How is this possible? How am I alive? How can I hear them all?'_

"Speak to them." Mikael told the confused and delighted young man. His eyes were filled with excitement as he watched the men come back from the dead inside of their pods.

"How are they supposed to hear me through their pods?" Niklaus wondered curiously. He was intrigued to know if they had enhanced hearing abilities as well.

"Trust me. They will hear you."

Niklaus lent forward and spoke into the mic on the desk in front of the glass window that divided them from the monsters. His voice bounced off of the walls in the cellar and echoed loudly throughout the room. All of the men inside of the pods started to scramble and slam against the walls, trying to block out the sound. It was too much for them. It hurt their heads.

He said as Mikael had instructed, "Hello, my children." He paused and grinned, liking the sound of that. "Here's the deal. You are all part of an experimental process and you shall do as you are instructed. Anyone who chooses to go against my orders shall be detained. Along with this, everyone that you love will be slaughtered. This means your oh so precious wife, your lovely children, your grandparents, or your siblings, everyone that you care about will die. If you do as you are instructed then I can ensure their safety."

Mikael pulled the lever and opened the doors to the pods, releasing the creatures.

Damon pushed the door open to the pod and he escaped into the main room of the cellar. He wanted more than anything to tear the man to pieces who had kidnapped him, but he wouldn't dare do that if it meant that he would kill Bonnie. He would never risk her life. Still, the anger was overwhelming as he stood there clad in nothing staring up at the glass wall directly into the eyes of the man who now "owned" him. The man who controlled his fate.

He clenched his fists and turned to look at the man standing beside him. He too was wearing nothing but the scars that littered his chest. They matched his own undoubtedly. The proper man had a large and deep scar that stretched across the length of his toned abdomen up over his throat.

What Damon saw when he looked over his face frightened him.

He no longer looked like the charming man in a suit. He looked like a monster.

His eyes were blood red, and he had dark veins rising beneath the flesh of his cheeks. In his mouth were fangs. He looked just as angry as Damon felt which was strange because as of yet he had not witnessed the man lose his composure. He must have had something back home that he lost too. Damon ran his tongue along his teeth and he felt the fangs. They were so sharp that they cut through his tongue when he pressed it against them.

_'What did this man do to us? He turned us into monsters...'_

**_'When I Come To Life, I'll Suck The Air So Deep._**

**_That Will Be My First Breath._**

**_I'm Going To Cut My Strings, And Kill The Puppeteer._**

**_Then I'll Walk On Out Of Here.' _**

* * *

**Author's Note :**

**I'm really hoping y'all are still liking this story. I'm sorry that it is taking so long to get to the romance. Please tell me if it is bothering y'all! I am SO sorry if this chapter isn't great or has any grammar problems! It is so hard for me to concentrate at my house during the day because there are nine people and a baby living here. And I have such a headache, but wanted to add this! SO I hope y'all like it! Thank you so much for reading it! **

**The next chapter will have a whole lot of Bamon/Haylijah romantic memories, as well as some Haybekah memories! :)) Along with this Stefan will be introduced into the story and he will have a long heart to heart conversation about Damon with Bonnie! What else do y'all want to see happening!? Are y'all excited for Stefan? What about Niklaus what are his plans? Do you like that Bonnie is figuring out things with Marcel?**

**What do you guys think will happen next!?**

**Thank you so much for reading! I really love you guys and y'all keep me writing!**

**-Tracy Cook-**


	6. Chapter 6

**You'll Never Take Our Humanity**

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Bonnie x Damon, Hayley x Elijah

Warnings : There will be mentions of death, morbidity, graphic sex, alcohol, war, violence, suicide, etc. Do not read if these things bother you. This will be a very dark story. There will be vampires in this fic, but it is AU.

Rating: M

**Chapter Six**

_**'Why Fight A War That Has Been Decided?**_

_**Change Your Course.'**_

Bonnie was laying in her bed with her knees pulled tightly against her chest, staring at the wall on the other side of the room. She hadn't really moved since she got home from the memorial. Her head was filled with a mix of confusing and conflicting thoughts. Her emotions were all over the place. One minute she was angry and screaming into her pillow or at her husband, the next she was a sobbing mess, and then she was trying to get up and be strong for her family. Right now, she was just exhausted.

She was worn down and she couldn't find the strength to push herself out of bed again.

Marcel had been continuously coming into the bedroom and trying to cheer her up. He had brought her dinner, which she wasn't capable of eating. She didn't have an appetite. He had tried to hold her, but it only made her feel uneasy. Despite wanting more than anything to believe in him, she couldn't anymore.

She knew that it was selfish, and she hated being selfish. People who knew Bonnie would tell you that she was one of the most selfless people on the face of the planet. She always put herself last and sacrificed everything that she was to make the people she loved happy. But, right now, she couldn't do anything. She couldn't plaster a fake smile on her lips and go on while she carried the overwhelming pain and loss that she felt.

Everyone deserved one day to be selfish. This was her day.

Tears started to pour as she recalled the way that they had lowered Damon's casket into the soil. She could remember the way that it had taken the rest of her hope away. In that moment he was truly gone and it destroyed her. She was the only one standing there watching as he left the world.

Stefan, his brother, had not made it to the memorial.

Bonnie tried to convince herself that it was because he lived so far away. Stefan lived in Precinct Five and it was a long drive, she didn't think anyone could make it in the time allotted. For some reason the memorial service had been rushed, they had wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. She knew that it wasn't the young man's fault for missing it, but she was still angry with him.

His brother was the only family that Damon had left. When they were young their father had died in the war and then their mother had killed herself out of grief. Damon had to pick up the pieces of his family and raise them and Stefan always resented him for wanting to follow in his father's footsteps and join the war. He told him it made him selfish. That he would never forgive him for it. But, not showing to his memorial was pushing things too far.

Stefan and Bonnie were all Damon had.

_'Knock, knock.'_

A soft knock at the door brought the young woman out of her thoughts and she stared at it with empty eyes. She knew that it was probably just Marcel trying once again to help her move past Damon. He wanted nothing more than to have her get over his death.

"Can you just leave me alone for a little while?" Bonnie asked, her voice raspy from crying and screaming.

She watched closely as the door started to open and a sliver of light was cast into the dark room. She let out a soft sigh. No matter how many times she asked Marcel to just give her some time alone he continued to interrupt her grieving process.

"It's me." She recognized the voice, though she hadn't heard it in many years. Stefan and her had never really been close. He wasn't close to Damon and even though they were in the same class there had always been a wall between the two of them because of his anger toward his brother. His voice was raspy like hers, like he had been crying.

"Stefan?" Bonnie asked, sitting up a little in bed and staring at the man as he pushed the door open a bit more and headed into the room. He had visible tears shimmering in his eyes and his face was drained of color. He wasn't the happy young man that she remembered at graduation. Eager to head off into the world and learn. He was broken. Even though he was hurting she still felt anger toward him. She needed to blame someone for what happened and he hadn't shown to the memorial.

"Yeah... It's me, Bon." He spoke under his breath, his voice cracking. Stefan couldn't begin to comprehend that Damon was gone. That he would never see him again. Even if they never got along, Damon had practically raised him. He was the only family he had left.

She stumbled to her feet and headed toward him, staring at him with hateful eyes. He understood her frustration, he had blamed Damon for dying and she was blaming him. It was all part of grieving someone. "How could you miss the memorial, Stefan!?" Bonnie screamed at him, slamming one of her small hands against his chest.

It didn't hurt.

He couldn't feel anything right now.

Stefan caught her hands with his and held them against his chest. Not holding onto them too tight. He caught her eyes and he spoke mournfully, "Bon, please... I already feel terrible about it. I tried my hardest to make it in time. Precinct Five is a long drive, and I headed out as soon as I heard the news." Tears started to roll down his cheeks and his body started to shake as he tightened his grip on her hands, holding on for dear life.

"You should have found a way, Stefan." Her anger was diminishing and turning into sorrow. She couldn't keep being mad at him. Not knowing that he was the only one who truly understood how she felt. "You should have been there." Bonnie lent her head against his chest and she never let go of his hands. "No one else showed up for him, I was the only one. He needed his brother."

He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt and his tears continued to fall as he cradled the back of her head with his hand. Holding her tight. Trying to comfort her and find comfort in her.

"I know he needed me."

_**'Regret**_

_**It was smothering.**_

_**He had arrived to the memorial too late. Most of the people had already left the cemetery, and they had already lowered the caskets into the ground. Dressed in a suit, flowers in hand, he walked along the path toward the place where Damon's plot was. He had spoke with Bonnie about where they were going to place it. It was going to be under the willow tree where they had carved their names.**_

_**Stefan knew that Bonnie loved Damon. The two of them were meant to be. He had always been hoping that the two of them would get together and she would knock some sense into his brother. She would convince him to not join the military.**_

_**Sadly, that hadn't happened.**_

_**Nothing had saved Damon from himself. He was gone.**_

_**His emotions were all over the place. He was depressed because he had just lost the last of his family, but more than that he was angry. He had hated his brother for years because of his stupid decision to join the military and now he had left him like their father had. He had died. And even if it wasn't on the battlefield he still believed that it had something to do with the war. Too many of the people who had died were soldiers that had just returned on leave.**_

_**What Damon could never understand was this was what Stefan had always been afraid of.**_

_**He had never hated him, he hated the thought of him dying. Now he was dead. **_

_**Gazing down at the fresh soil he fell to his knees and he dropped the flowers on the grave. He could not hold himself together. He was screaming and crying and blaming Damon for everything. It made him feel guilty that he would blame the man for dying, but at that time he couldn't blame anyone else.**_

_**"How could you do this to me, Damon!?" He shouted, staring at the name in-scripted on the stone. "How could you leave me like he did!?"**_

A few minutes of violent sobbing passed by and then they both started to calm down. Their bodies heavy and their eyes tired of shedding tears. Bonnie wiped the last remaining tears from her cheeks and she walked toward her bed, taking a seat on it and dragging her knees back to her chest. She felt safer in that position.

Stefan made his way to the bed taking a seat across from her and watching her every movement. He knew that her heart was broken. She loved Damon as much as he did. She was the only person on the face of the planet that could see through all of the shitty things he did and see that there was still a man worth loving. Even Stefan, his own brother, couldn't do that sometimes.

He would never understand why she had married Marcel.

"I just." Bonnie whispered, her voice breaking. "I can't believe he's gone Stefan."

_**'Did You Ever Wish You Could Be King?**_

_**Holding Heaven In Your Hands.'**_

"My children." Niklaus spoke into the microphone with a psychotic twist of his lips. He was enjoying the power that he felt controlling the men below. He loved playing with their lives. He loved destroying them and knowing that they had no choice but to do as he said. Now it was time to get rid of the men who could not be trusted to do his dirty work. He needed only the strongest, the most blood-thirsty monsters that would remain loyal to him.

Damon stared up at the man behind the glass. His jaw was clenched tightly, he could tell that the man was enjoying torturing them. He wanted to lash out and kill him, but he wouldn't risk Bonnie's life. He wouldn't risk Stefan's life.

"It's time for us to play a little game." He sang.

One of the creatures jumped from the cellar floor at the glass wall and he latched his claws into the glass, exposing his fangs and hissing violently at the man who was running the show. Damon was thoroughly surprised by the strength and power of the creature. He wondered if he too had the ability to jump as far as he did, if he was as fast, if he was as strong. The thought shouldn't have, but in a way it excited him.

Who didn't want to be all-powerful?

"First things first." Niklaus said. "Let's learn by example, shall we?"

Mikael watched as the other man took control of the creatures. He was realizing very quickly that he had no problem taking control of things. He didn't know if it should worry him. The way that he was acting terrified and excited him. He had never met anyone as eager as he was about his children.

He didn't even flinch as the monster continued to hiss at him through the glass. He knew that he could not get through it, no matter how strong he was. Again, he spoke into the microphone, "Anyone who chooses to go against me, will be punished." Niklaus grinned and pressed down on a button that sent a strong electric current into the body of the creature. He shook violently and then his skin started to ignite in flames as he was thrown back into the cellar. The current was strong enough to kill an elephant, but it only hurt the man. He could not die.

"I have hundreds of men surveying the houses of your loved ones, prepared to go inside and slaughter them in a moments notice." He paused and laughed a little to himself. "On another note. If any harm is to come to me then they shall still follow through with their orders, understood?"

Damon was staring at the man who stood beside him, their eyes connected. Even filled with blood and with veins rising beneath his skin, he could tell that the man was trustworthy. There was something about his demeanor that told him that he was loyal. No matter what the man above threw their way, they were in it together.

The proper man nodded his head and so did he.

He was going to do whatever it took to ensure the safety of the ones he loved. No matter what the psychopath tried to force them to do, he would do it.

"Very well." Niklaus stated. "Now, as I was saying, it's time for us to play a little game." He laughed. "The name of the game is, what's your limit?"

Damon's head snapped to the side as a door opened and a young teenage boy was pushed through it. The door instantly closed behind him and the boy was looking around at them with a horrified expression. He couldn't have been over eighteen years old. His eyes were wide and he was screaming for someone to help him.

The scent of the young man's blood was intoxicating as it filled Damon's nostrils. He couldn't believe how enticing he found it. On the battlefield, blood had always phased him. He hated watching people die, especially innocent victims, their blood had haunted his dreams for years and now it excited him. He wanted to sink his teeth into the man's flesh and drain him of the vital fluid. It disgusted him the way that his throat ached for it, the way that his fangs throbbed painfully.

These feelings were terribly wrong. But, they felt right.

Elijah watched the poor boy closely feeling his chest tighten painfully. The guilt he felt was overwhelming. The boy was looking around the room, searching for an escape, but there was none. He was going to die. Elijah was an honest man. He had never harmed a fly and he did not intend to start doing so. He thanked the men who served in war for what they did every day, because they protected him and his family. The things that he loved. But, he did not believe in killing people.

What he did believe in though, was protecting his family no matter the cost.

His mind was filling with memories of his wife and the moments that they spent together, the day that they found out they were pregnant, the day that Elizabeth was born. He was feeling conflicted. Torn. On one hand he could rebel against the madman calling the shots and the boy would undoubtedly die by the hand of the other men, or he could aid in killing him and save his family.

_'Hayley is pregnant... She cannot die... My family must live.'_

"This is a young lad." Niklaus started to explain his demented experiment. "Let's call him Ted." He smirked. "He attends high school and he probably leads a rather pathetic and unproductive life. Until now that is. Now he will finally serve a purpose."

Damon chewed on his cheeks as he watched the boy's every move. He knew that the British man was going to ask them to do something to him and he was anxious. He could feel the veins rising along his cheeks and he was salivating against his own wishes. He didn't want to kill an innocent boy. He saw no need for such things. But, he couldn't deny the hunger. Somewhere deep in the darkest depths there was a monster hiding. A monster that wanted to kill the young man. A monster that wanted to devour him.

"I want for you to demonstrate your strength and agility for me."

The men waited for their orders. Some of them eager to do as they were told to save their loved ones, others hesitant.

"Kill him."

Damon knew that the man wanted them to prove themselves to him, and he knew that doing so was the only way to get into his good graces. Once he was in his good graces then he could take him down and get back to Bonnie. That was his plan. He hoped more than anything that the Original Corp. employee standing beside him would stand by him through everything.

He didn't want to be alone.

_'He's just a boy...' _His conscience reminded. Causing the guilt to bubble in his stomach as he watched the young man. He was a lone lamb standing in a herd of wolves and he was about to be slaughtered. If it wasn't him then it would be someone else, and deep down, he wanted to kill him. _'I'm doing this for Bonnie...'_

Elijah watched the only man he considered on his side in the room, as his eyes darkened to a deeper shade of red. They were nearly black.

"Come on now, we haven't got all day!" Niklaus chanted from above, growing impatient and frustrated that none of the creatures had attacked the boy yet. He was starting to think that he had wasted his money.

Six of the creatures sped toward the boy at once from every direction and he screamed loudly, covering his head with his hands in an attempt to protect himself. It was no use though. There was no way to defend against the abnormal strength of the creatures. He was going to die.

The boy's screams were silenced as Damon jumped from where he was standing in the cellar and landed on his shoulders, forcing his hands down and leaning over, sinking his fangs deep into his throat. Biting down hard he broke through the flesh and he started to drain his body of blood. He couldn't deny that it tasted delicious as it passed over his tongue and down his throat, instantly soothing the ache and hunger that he had been feeling. Once the man was drained and dead he dropped his body and did a back flip off of his shoulders, landing on his feet and turning to face the proper man.

He hadn't attacked the boy and Damon was suddenly scared for him.

He didn't want to lose the one person he had on his side.

The feeling of blood rushing through his veins felt better than he had expected it to. It was like liquid adrenalin, power, and he was feeling alive again. Damon couldn't deny that he had enjoyed it and he wanted more.

Elijah watched as the man headed back in his direction, wiping the blood from his face. His lips were twisted up into a half smile. He understood why the man had done it, he too was having cravings. He wanted to taste the blood. Now that they had killed the man his blood was all over the cellar and it was tempting. His stomach was twisting. He was starving. Along with that they were fighting to keep the ones they loved alive.

He just didn't know if he was capable of killing someone.

"I am proud of you, my children." Niklaus was smiling widely as he watched them devour the boy. One of the creatures in particular stood out to him. The way that he attacked the boy with such meaning. He was excited. Still, quite a few had not yet killed anyone and he needed to change that.

Mikael was watching and taking notes of all of the men who attacked. Everyone would be required to aid in killing someone or they would be detained.

"Next we have Beth." He spoke into the microphone. The doors opened and a young girl was pushed into the cellar. She looked to be either fifteen or sixteen years old and she had curly blonde hair and looked scared to death as she cowered on the ground.

"What's going on!" She screamed tears in her eyes. "Let me out! Someone help!"

No one was going to help her.

"She too is in high school." Niklaus stated in a condescending tone. Damon wondered for a moment how anyone could be so heartless. He was killing innocent children and he didn't sound like he cared at all. He sounded amused to watch them die. He was making a mockery of their lives. "Up until a week ago her biggest concern was who was going to ask her to prom."

He paused and they all waited for his command.

"Kill her!"

Damon turned to look the proper man in the eye. He was willing him to do as he was told. Pleading with him. He could tell that the other man was struggling with the thought of killing someone, especially a young girl, but he needed him on his side. He wanted him to pass this test and survive. _'I can tell that he has loved ones he doesn't want to die... Why isn't he doing as he's told? Sometimes you have to be selfish to save the ones you love.'_

He moved toward the man and smiled at him, blood still stained his neck from the boy that he had killed. He didn't care. He was on a high after drinking his blood.

"Forgot to ask, buddy." Damon emphasized playfully on the word buddy, widening his eyes, his toned arms crossed over his chest. "What's your name?"

"Elijah." He answered.

It was sort of weird how he still sounded like a proper gentleman regardless of the fangs and the creepy veins under his eyes. He didn't seem like he had changed at all. He didn't seem like he was phased by the urges. Damon was jealous of his self-control. _'Now it's time to break that control... I need him with me.'_

"Alright, Elijah." He smirked. "Tell me something. Do you have a wife back home?"

"I do." His answer was short and simple.

"Do you have children?"

"I have a daughter and another child on the way."

Damon felt his chest tighten painfully as he heard this. He had expected him to have children, but being trapped like this when you had a daughter and your wife was pregnant with your child, that had to be the worst. "Okay, so you probably want to, you know, keep them alive, right?"

"Of course I do." Elijah was well aware what Damon was getting at. He wanted him to attack the young girl to save his family and he could feel the words working on him. What it truly came down to for him was whether he would feel more guilty for not attacking her and knowing his entire family was killed, and her probably being killed by the other men, or if he would feel more guilty just killing her himself.

The answer was obvious.

He just didn't like it. It made him feel selfish. The girl standing before him was someone else's daughter.

"Then." Damon paused and looked him directly in the eyes. "Do it." He waggled his brow.

"She's only a child." Elijah countered.

"So is your daughter."

Elijah felt his muscles tense and his anger grow as he thought about his daughter.

_**'Elijah stood in front of the bed, watching with a smile as Hayley tickled their three year old daughter. She was squirming beneath the touch and trying to get her mother to leave her alone. It was absolutely adorable. Every time that Elizabeth or Hayley smiled it caused his heart to melt. He loved them more than he loved anything in the world.**_

_**"Daddy!" Elizabeth shouted. "Save me!"**_

_**"Don't you think you have tortured her enough dear?" Elijah asked his wife with a knowing grin on his lips. **_

**_"Maybe I have." She emphasized on the word I and grinned from ear to ear, knowing what he planned on doing. They knew each other so well that at times she could swear that he could read her mind._**

**_Hayley stopped her tickling assault and she watched as Elijah took a seat on the bed beside them, he held his arms open to their daughter and smiled at her. "Come here, sweetheart. I'll protect you." _**

**_Elizabeth rushed toward her father and hugged him tightly glaring over her shoulder at her mom. She was still smiling though. _**

**_"Now it's my turn." He said and then he started to tickle the little girl watching as she laughed loudly and fell back onto the bed, screaming at him to stop, and thrashing around. Hayley was laughing loudly as she rested her chin against his shoulder and whispered into his ear that he was so evil.'_**

"Come on!" Niklaus shouted at them. "No one is going to take the initiative?"

Elijah couldn't handle the memories invading his mind. That mixed with the encouraging smile that the other man was giving him and his hunger was enough to push him over the edge. None of the other men moved, only him. He launched himself across the room and landed behind the frightened girl. He didn't want to see her face when he killed her. He sunk his teeth into the veins of her neck and started to eagerly drain her body of blood.

"Finally a worthy man!" The man in the glass box praised.

_**'I Make My Bed Alone.**_

_**See The Would-Be King, On A Would-Be Throne.'**_

It took everything that Hayley had to keep strong for her daughter and put on a brave face. She couldn't be weak now. She had to force back her tears and continue to take care of her like nothing had happened. She had just finished cooking supper and it had nearly drained her completely. She didn't want to cook, she didn't want to play with Elizabeth, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep her pain away.

But, she couldn't do that. It would be selfish of her.

She had to just keep pushing herself.

The pictures hanging on the walls of the house had once been a positive reminder of how happy their lives were, how put together they were. Now they were a reminder that everything had fallen to pieces and Hayley had lost the man she loved. She hated the pictures. She wanted to rip them from the walls and smash them all over the ground, yet she also loved the pictures and wanted to hold them in her arms as she slept. The emotions were conflicting, confusing, and she just had to force a smile.

On top of everything she still couldn't get into contact with Rebekah. At first, Hayley had feared that she had been caught in the aftermath of the explosion, but she hadn't shown up on the obituaries.

Her phone was dead and she was scared that she was losing her too.

_'I just hope she is okay...' _She thought to herself, picking away at her food and staring down at it with sad eyes. She didn't want to eat, she felt sick to her stomach.

Sitting at the table with her daughter staring back at her she was reminded of one of the times that she had spent with all of the people she loved. It had been Thanksgiving and it had been a wonderful night. They had spent the night siting around the very table she was sitting at right now, talking about everything they had to be thankful for.

_**'Rebekah was sitting at the table with a dimpled grin on her lips, sitting beside her was a young man that she had only been dating for a few weeks. Matt. Hayley usually didn't invite new boyfriends to family events, but she liked the young man. She thought that he was good to Rebekah. Even if she didn't know if the relationship would last very long.**_

_**Sitting next to her was Elijah, and their daughter was sitting between Matt and him, eating away eagerly at her dinner with a wide smile on her face.**_

_**She didn't have many friends her own age, but she loved all of them. Hayley hoped that one day she would have another child so that she wouldn't be so lonely growing up.**_

_**"So." The blonde Brit started, "I heard that you are up for promotion at the Corp, Elijah?"**_

_**"It seems so." He responded proudly. Even if he didn't like his job, he took it and it's benefits seriously. They were important to the survival of his family.**_

_**"About bloody time!" Rebekah laughed. "You are by far the hardest worker there and as far as I am concerned, no one deserves it more than you."**_

_**"Thank you." Elijah flashed her a genuine smile. He loved that she had faith in him. "Hopefully you too will get a promotion in the near future."**_

_**"I highly doubt that."**_

_**Original Corp rarely promoted their female employees. In fact, they rarely hired females at all. Rebekah was one of the very few whose talent was too great to overlook despite her bust. It completely baffled her. It had been almost three hundred years since women had earned their equal rites within the country and men still managed to have control over them. **_

**_Elijah understood her hesitation and coughed a little, tucking his napkin into his shirt as a bib before starting to eat his meal. "If I get the promotion I shall put in a good word for you." He insisted._**

**_"Alright!" Hayley said with a wide smile. She didn't want to spend the entire night talking about work. "Enough talk about work for the night!"_**

**_Her husband politely apologized, reaching beneath the table and resting a hand on her knee. Giving it a small squeeze and grinning at her. His touch somehow managed to set her skin on fire. He always had that effect on her. _**

**_"How about we go around the room and say what we are most thankful for this year!" Hayley suggested. "I'll start."_**

**_Reaching under the table she placed her hand gently on top of Elijah's, delicately tracing patterns on the back of it. She loved how safe she felt whenever he touched her. It was like if she was holding onto his hand then they could conquer anything life threw at them. They could take on the world together. _**

**_"I am thankful for my wonderful." Hayley paused and caught his eyes, waggling her brow suggestively. "Handsome, husband. Who has put his dreams on hold in order to do best by our family. I am thankful for that every single day. And of course for our lovely daughter." She glanced over at the young girl who was still eating away at her meal. She stopped eating for a minute to smile proudly at her mother. Then Hayley looked to Rebekah. "And my best friend."_**

**_"How on earth am I s'posed to follow that?" Rebekah asked playfully. _**

**_"I don't know." Hayley laughed. "My answer was pretty awesome huh?"_**

**_The blonde raised a brow at her best friend and everyone in the room shared in the laughter. Once it died down, she spoke. "I am thankful for my lovely best friend, my new boyfriend." She looked over at Matt who smiled a little uncomfortably. He didn't know most of them and he didn't know Rebekah very well, so this was a bit much for him. "And this delicious turkey."_**

**_"Your welcome." The other woman said with a smirk._**

**_"Uh, I guess I'm thankful for my girlfriend and all of you guys." Matt stated uncomfortably. What was he supposed to say? _**

**_"You guess?" Rebekah asked like she was completely offended by his words. Of course she was only teasing the young man. _**

**_"I mean, I am." He panicked. "This is a tough crowd to please."_**

**_Everyone started to laugh again and then when it all quieted down it was Elizabeth's turn to tell them what she was thankful for. When she realized they were all staring at her, she looked up and smiled. "I'm thankful for my mommy and my daddy!" She spoke enthusiastically. "Aunt Bekah, and this pumpkin pie!"_**

**_"There's my girl." Rebekah stated with a wink in the little girl's direction._**

**_Elizabeth winked back at her._**

**_Elijah looked over at Hayley and their eyes connected, her breath was lost in her throat. The way he looked at her was with so much love and admiration. "I am most thankful for my beautiful and supportive wife. You have never once asked me to give up my passions or compromise myself." He smiled and she returned the smile. Then he turned his gaze to their daughter. "And I am also thankful for or lovely daughter. The two of you complete me."_**

Tears filled her eyes as she tried to eat her food. She couldn't though. Once again she was breaking down in tears. She tried to fight them, but they continued to fall.

"Don't worry mommy." Elizabeth said, knowing why her mother was sad. "Daddy will come home soon."

_'You have not lost everything... You still have Elizabeth... You have your child on the way... Elijah would want you to be strong for them.' _"I love you, Elizabeth. You know that right?" Hayley asked her. It seemed random, but she needed her to know. Now she had an entirely different outlook on life and she was starting to realize that nothing was concrete. The people you loved could be there in an instant and gone the next.

"I know mommy! I love you too!"

_**'Fine Day, If You Are Not Me.**_

_**Fine Day To Sleep.'**_

* * *

**Author's Note :**

**I want to thank everyone so much for reading my fic and leaving me reviews! You guys are really amazing and wonderful and I love you all so much! I know that this story has a lot of story line, but I really hope y'all are enjoying it! I haven't got many reviews for the last few chapters so please tell me if you guys are still interested in me continuing it! :)) I really hope you all are because I am having a lot of fun writing it!**

**As for this chapter, what did you all think of it!? Did you enjoy the Haylijah flashbacks? What about Damon and Elijah working together? Excited for it? Did you like the Stefonnie scene? How do you feel about Stefan? What about their family life? Interested to know more about what happened with their parents? Maybe little kid Defan flashbacks? Where the heck is Rebekah!? Hayley needs her friend right now! **

**Interested in seeing Kol the next chapter? :p**

**Please do leave me some reviews and tell me what y'all are thinking and what y'all want to see! I will definitely add it! **

**Thank you all so much for reading! ****I love you all!**

**-Tracy Cook-**


	7. Chapter 7

**You'll Never Take Our Humanity**

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Bonnie x Damon, Hayley x Elijah

Warnings : There will be mentions of death, morbidity, graphic sex, alcohol, war, violence, suicide, etc. Do not read if these things bother you. This will be a very dark story. There will be vampires in this fic, but it is AU.

Rating: M

**Chapter Seven**

_**'Tried To Squeeze My Eyes, And Scrape Up My Skin.**_

_**There Is A Hole In My Head, Where The Bullet Went In.'**_

His toned chest was exposed for the man in the glass box, as he stood side by side with the other monsters like him. The line stretched clear across the cellar floor and the men had no idea what was going to happen to them. The tension was heavy in the room, people were shaking, hearts were racing. Damon could hear the hearts of the fellow men. He could hear their heavy breathing. He could hear everything.

His heightened senses were hastily becoming a curse, not a blessing. He couldn't control them.

Damon exchanged a look with Elijah. Neither of them knew what was coming. He had hoped that the man was done with his "tests" now that everyone in the room had either proven their ability to slaughter innocent humans, or they had been detained. It appeared that they would not be so lucky.

"The next test may get a bit gruesome." The man spoke in a singsong voice into the intercom. As if the previous tests hadn't been gruesome enough. "I have been informed by your creator that you are incapable of dying. But, as any human probably would, I have my doubts about this." He laughed and paused. "So, I intend to test this theory and see your potential with my very own eyes."

He turned to look in the direction of the doors as they opened and men started to fill the room. They were the men from before, the men wearing the helmets to disguise their identities. All of them were armed and they had on protective gear. Not that it would protect them if one of the creatures attacked. Damon had witnessed what they were capable of. He had felt it. The power rushing through his veins. If any one of these creatures rebelled and attacked they could kill all of the men.

All that was stopping them from doing so was the fear of losing the ones they loved.

They were using their compassion against them.

Blue eyes landed on Elijah and he realized that his muscles were tense and his jaw was clenched. For the first time since they had met he was seeing a side of him that seemed out of control. He seemed like he was angry. Like he might do something stupid and attack. Damon hoped for his sake that he didn't, because there was no way that he would escape and his entire family would be slaughtered.

The two of them had to be smart about this. They had to prove themselves worthy, earn the man's trust, then kill him from the inside.

"Ready?" Niklaus grinned madly into the microphone.

Damon returned his attention to the men and stared them down. He was going to sustain whatever they threw at him. If he was unable to die then he would suffer through the pain to save the ones he loved, if he did die, then he died. Years in the military had taught him how to take orders and wake with the thought in his head that he would die that day, only to fall asleep with the same thought about the next day. This was nothing compared to his years on the battlefield.

"Aim."

The men all lifted their guns and aimed them at the creatures.

Elijah felt fear shoot through him as he stared down the barrel of a gun aimed directly at him. He knew that he needed to remain alive to provide for his wife and children. The thought of dying and leaving them alone made him feel sick to his stomach. But, he had to follow orders, for now.

"A warning." Niklaus stated in a deadly serious tone. A tone that they had not heard the man use as of yet. "If you run or flinch as the bullets penetrate your skin, the same rules apply." His voice quickly twisted back into a playfully demented tone as he added, "This will hurt."

Damon's muscles tensed but he did not flinch as he stared down the men who had their guns pointed at him. He would have loved to be able to look them in the eyes as they shot at him. So that they could see that he too was a human. They could see what they were doing to innocent people. They could feel his pain. He wanted them to know how disgusting they truly were. Why were they doing this? For money? For power? For promised lies?

He wondered.

"Fire!"

The bullets hit like a thunder storm. Hundreds upon hundreds of them shot from the guns and started to fly toward the men. It was almost like it happened in slow motion for Damon. He watched them approach. Knew that he was fully capable of dodging every last one of them with his enhanced abilities, but he had to take it. He had to take the pain to prove himself to a man he hated.

He lifted his arms like a man crucified and laughed in the face of the bullets. He was not going to give the man upstairs the sick satisfaction of watching him flinch in pain. He was going to show that he was stronger then him. That he was a man who could take the pain, he was a man who would always persevere. He was a man who was no longer afraid of death.

He welcomed death.

Damon felt the pain shoot through his body as the bullets penetrated his flesh. He could feel them break through the skin, through the bones, through his vital organs. It was the most excruciating experience of his life. He had never felt anything like it and all he wanted to do was fall over and hold his body in torment, but he didn't dare. He continued to hold his arms open and welcome the pain, a half-smirk on his lips as he cast his eyes up at the man behind the glass. Staring him straight in the eyes.

Saying, I am your chosen one. I am the one you want by your side. I am the one who will kill you.

Blood of the other men was flying through the air, his blood, Elijah's blood, the entire cellar was covered in blood. Damon hoped that Elijah was holding up as well as he was. He hoped that he would pass the test. He couldn't see himself continuing on without the proper man by his side.

Damon let out a hiss when he felt a bullet pierce through his skull. It went directly through his brain and he could feel it wiggling around inside of his head. It was one of the most uncomfortably painful situations he had ever been put in. But, he still stood his ground.

Eventually the spay of bullets came to a halt.

The men in helmets lowered their guns and they started to walk out of the room, leaving behind a bloody mess. Hundreds of men with bullet wounds covering their naked bodies.

Niklaus lent forward against the desk and he stared with amused eyes as the creatures' wounds started to heal right before him. His eyes were fixated intently on one man in particular. The man who had stood front and center with his arms wide and welcomed the bullets. His entire chest was covered in holes, blood pouring from the wounds. His head was half missing and he could see into his skull.

Not for long though. Within minutes, the wounds along his chest, arms, and the rest of his body had sealed up. His skin was back to normal, like he had never been shot at. What was most amazing though was as he watched the skull reconstruct itself. The bone reform around his brain, the skin return, the hair following. It was like he had never been harmed at all.

"How is that possible?" Niklaus breathed out in wonder. He couldn't believe his eyes. They were not only eternal, they were invincible.

"Years and years of research." Mikael informed, more than pleased with his work.

"It's bloody amazing!" He started laughing madly, slamming his hand against the desk and staring at all of the men as they healed.

_**'Something Always Stands Between Me And The Things I Want.'**_

"I." Stefan started, his eyes landing on Bonnie's hand as he held it with his own. They both wanted to find some comfort in each other. Both of them felt guilty for what happened. "I never got the chance to tell Damon how much I loved and admired him."

"I'm sure he knew." She tried her best to convince him, though she herself couldn't even believe the words. She hoped that Damon knew that his brother loved him, she prayed that he knew that she cared for him and that she tried her hardest to make it to the station. But, deep down, she didn't know. Tears resurfaced in her eyes as she recalled that night.

_'If I had only seen him that night... If he only knew how hard I tried to make it.'_

Stefan laughed a little under his breath and shook his head as tears fell down his cheeks. "I know he didn't." He swallowed hard and glanced away from worried green depths. "He didn't know I loved him. I hardly ever told him that." He pressed his lips tightly together and his heart started to pound in his chest as memories filled his head. "Do you know what the last thing I said to him was?"

Bonnie didn't say anything, she just waited patiently for him to tell her.

"The last thing that I told him was that I hated him." His voice broke, as did Bonnie's heart as she heard the words. She couldn't fathom those words being the last words she had said to her Grams or Damon. The overwhelming guilt was evidently written across Stefan's face. "The last thing I said was I hated him, Bonnie." He stared deep into her eyes and she started to cry with him.

She felt his pain and it was devastating.

_**'Damon pulled on his jacket and turned to face his little brother. He was only fifteen and he didn't understand why his brother wanted to rush off to the war and risk his life like their father had. Some days Damon didn't understand his reasoning himself. But, he knew that it was the right thing to do, by his country and by his father.**_

_**"When you're older you'll understand baby brother." He spoke playfully. **_

**_It frustrated Stefan to no end that his brother could never take anything seriously. He treated everything like a joke, even when he was risking his own life. How could he be so calm? He was going off to a war that people rarely survived. "I don't think I will ever understand!" He shouted angrily at him, tears filling his eyes. _**

**_Taking a few steps toward his older brother he asked, his voice quavering, "Why do you want to be like him!? Why do you want to leave me the way he left us!?"_**

**_"It's only five years. I'll be back before you even miss me." He smirked._**

**_"That's exactly what our father said, Damon! Don't you remember? He said that he would only be gone for five years and then he would come home safe and sound, and he didn't!"_**

**_"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not him! I'm coming back."_**

**_"You are him!" Stefan yelled back at his brother. He could see no difference between Damon and his father. They were both selfish, they did everything because they wanted to and they never thought of the consequences or who it would hurt. "You are being just as selfish as he was! You are all I have left, how can you just leave me!?"_**

**_"I think you are old enough to take care of yourself, kiddo." Damon countered spitefully._**

**_"Like you were old enough when mom died?" Stefan spat back angrily. _**

**_"Don't talk about her." He was suddenly serious. More serious than he had been for most of the conversation. Their mother's death was a trigger for Damon. He blamed himself for not being there to save her life. _**

**_His younger brother took a step toward him and stared at him with deadly eyes. Stefan was always so serious. In most instances people would mistake Stefan for the older of the two because he was far more mature than Damon. He didn't act out in school, he got good grades, he wasn't always starting fights. He was the type of man that Damon wished he could be, but knew he could never be._**

**_"Damon." He paused. "If you walk out that door it will be the most selfish and heartless thing you have ever done. Think about the people you will hurt if you die. Think about me, think about Bonnie."_**

**_"Bonnie has nothing to do with this."_**

**_"Of course she has something to do with this! You love her and you are leaving her behind!"_**

**_"It doesn't matter if I love her or not, Stefan." His eyes widened angrily and he took a step past his brother, heading toward the front door. He wasn't going to sit around and listen to this anymore. He didn't want to feel guilty for making a decision. It was his life, if he wanted to risk it for what he believed in and that was selfish of him, then so be it. _**

**_"See you later, bro."_**

**_"You are the worst brother in the world, Damon! I will never forgive you for this! I hate you!"_**

"He knew you loved him, Stefan." Bonnie whispered, squeezing down gently on his hand and trying to offer him reassurance. She could tell that he hated himself as much as she hated herself.

"How do you know that?" He sobbed and wiped the tears from his eyes with his free hand. "I told him I hated him and that he was just like our father, and the worst part is." Stefan paused and chewed on his bottom lip as his chest tightened painfully. He could not relieve himself of the guilt he felt. "Part of me still believes those things. A part of me still blames him for dying."

"If I'm being honest..." She paused and looked away from him. "A part of me blames him too. But, this isn't his fault, Stefan. He needed to do this for himself and he did the best that he could. And I know he loved you." Bonnie looked back to him with insistent eyes. "Because he told me that he loved you. He told me that you never understood his drive to go to war, but he hoped someday you would. He hoped someday we both would."

**_'All I Ever Needed Was A Reason For You Leaving Me Here,_**

**_Did It Make You Scared To Know, You Had To Let Go?'_**

"I have one more theory that I must test." Niklaus told the creatures below.

Mikael offered him a confused look at the statement. He had thought that they had already completed all of the tests. "What test are you speaking of Nik?" He asked curiously. "We have already ran through all of the tests we agreed upon. They have no other abilities."

He smirked and looked over at the madman. "This theory is one of my own and seeing that these creatures are now my property it would suit you well to not stop me from doing so." Returning his attention to the men below he pressed the button signalling for the men to open the door. Mikael watched as they brought in another woman. Undoubtedly another human sacrifice.

He didn't understand what Niklaus was doing.

"Which one of you will offer to feed this woman your blood?"

When no one made a move to do so, he started to grow impatient. He hated that even though he owned the creatures they did not yet obey him. He knew that it would take time, but he was not one that liked to wait for what he wanted. "Really, no volunteers?" He laughed. "Perhaps if I start to threaten some of your loved ones?"

Pulling away from the microphone, his eyes were stuck on one of the creatures in particular. He had been the first one to brutally murder the young boy and he had accepted the bullets like they were rain drops against his skin. He was the strongest. He was the one that Niklaus wanted at his side.

"Who is he?" Niklaus asked.

Mikael started to look through the list of his creations. He had studied them all while doing experiments on them and he knew exactly who he was talking about. Once he reached his file, he handed it to the other man and smiled. "That one is Damon Salvatore. Number 36."

He bit down on his bottom lip and scanned over the information that they had gathered on the young man. He did not have many people in his life that he was attached to it appeared. He was a military man. He was not married. He had very little family and no children. He may as well be dead. _'Perhaps that is why he is participating. He has no other calling in life?'_

Niklaus did notice that he had a brother.

He hoped it would be enough to convince him to feed the girl and kill her.

"Damon Salvatore." He stated into the mic. Causing the young man to stare up at him with angry blue eyes, they were filled with blood and the veins rose beneath the skin of his cheeks. It was obviously triggered by anger. "I see that you have a younger brother, Stefan." He smirked when Damon's body tensed at the mention of his brother. "You wouldn't want your dear brother to be brutally murdered would you?"

He didn't say anything, but it was clear that he would do whatever he told him by the way that he approached the girl.

"That is what I thought. Please, be a good boy and feed the woman your blood for me?"

Damon could feel his stomach lurching back and forth as he approached the woman. He was already feeling the weight of guilt from the last woman that he had killed, now he was being personally asked to do something for the man above. He had a feeling that whatever it was wasn't going to end well for the blonde. He couldn't see her face because the back of her head was facing the creatures, but he could hear her whimpering.

When he circled around her and looked over her face he felt the guilt intensify. She was staring up at him with wide blue eyes, she had freckles that covered her pale cheeks, and she was lovely. Aside from the gag in her mouth.

"Hurry up, we don't have all day! Feed her your blood and then kill her!"

He hadn't mentioned anything about killing the poor woman prior to that and it made him feel even more nauseous. _'Can I really do this with her staring up at me, begging me to stop...? How can I be so terrible... so evil?'_

"I am calling my men if you do not kill her in one minute your brother will be dead."

Damon lifted a shaky hand and sunk his fangs into his wrist causing himself to bleed. Before his skin could heal he hastily removed the gag from the woman's full lips and covered them with his bleeding wrist. Filling her mouth with his blood as she screamed and tried to move away. Her cries muffled by the arm against her mouth.

"I'm sorry." He said, blue eyes connecting with blue as he snapped her neck.

Something inside of him broke the minute he broke her spine. It was like that was the moment that pushed him over the edge. He was angry with the man above, he hated him for using the people he loved against him. He was going to make him pay for what he had done.

"Very well." Niklaus laughed. "Now. We wait."

_**'I'll Be Quiet, To Keep You Quiet.'**_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I am sorry for taking so long to update and for this update being so short. I wanted to give you guys more but I cannot seem to write right now... Having a really bad week. Thank you all for reading though!  
**

**Hope you guys like it even though it is short.**

**Love you guys!  
**

**-Tracy Cook-**


	8. Chapter 8

**You'll Never Take Our Humanity**

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Bonnie x Damon, Hayley x Elijah

Warnings : There will be mentions of death, morbidity, graphic sex, alcohol, war, violence, suicide, etc. Do not read if these things bother you. This will be a very dark story. There will be vampires in this fic, but it is AU.

Rating: M

**Chapter Eight**

_**'I Fight To Make You Stronger, To Make You Love Your Life.**_

_**I Fight To Show You Purpose, To Keep You Satisfied.'**_

"Now. We wait." Niklaus' voice echoed off of the walls of the cellar.

Elijah's eyes were locked on the blonde who was laying with her back to them. He couldn't make out her face, but there was something about her that felt familiar. His stomach tangled in knots as he watched her closely. His body tense and his eyes straining to see more of her. He was starting to feel nauseous as he attempted to put a finger on what he recognized about her. It wasn't her body type, it wasn't her blonde hair and silky smooth skin, it was something else.

Her scent.

The perfume that she was wearing was familiar. He had smelt it somewhere before.

He knew that it was preposterous to assume that he knew the woman based purely on what fragrance she was was wearing. Many women wore similar perfumes, and it was not an uncommon scent. The blonde smelt of Vanilla with a hint of fresh roses. This mixed with the fact that she had blonde hair and pale skin only heightened his fear that he knew who the woman was. He didn't know why she would be there, but it was highly possible that she had followed him to the office because he had never returned home.

Hayley would have been worried about him. It wasn't like him to be late.

Damon returned to Elijah's side with a perplexed look on his face. He didn't understand why the proper man suddenly looked so concerned about the woman he had just killed. It made him feel guilty and angry. He hadn't done anything more than what Elijah himself would have done if they threatened his wife. How dare he judge him for his actions?

Behind the safety of his glass walls Niklaus watched the scene transpire below. His eyes wide and filled with wonder as he waited to see if his theory would be proven correct.

"This is never going to work, Nik." Mikael informed, staring through the glass at the poor woman who had just sacrificed her life in vain. "These are creatures of reality, not fiction. I invented them and I know for a fact that what they carry cannot be passed through the blood."

"We shall see."

"I think that you have read one to many fantasy novels in your lifetime."

"How could you create these beautiful beings and still believe that there is a line that separates fiction and reality?" Niklaus asked in a serious tone. This was a concept straight out of a fantasy novel. Creatures that drank blood, creatures that could never die. It was fascinating. It was fantastical.

"Because, despite your awe in their abilities I know how I created them. I know every ounce of work and every hour of scientific research that went into constructing them, and I know what you are attempting is impossible." His breath caught in his throat as he finished the sentence and his eyes stared through the glass at the woman's lifeless body. At least it had been lifeless. Now her fingers were twitching. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"You were saying?" Niklaus sang playfully, his toothy grin spreading as he stared down at the woman.

He looked like a child who had just been told that they could have ice cream before their supper. It was terrifying how delighted he was.

"This cannot be possible!" Mikael exclaimed, his grip tight on the desk as he stared with his mouth open at the woman below. This both excited and worried him. If the creatures could be created without him then he would no longer serve a purpose. He would no longer have any reason to be alive and Nik would no longer have any reason to keep him around.

_'He would never kill me though...' _He tried to convince himself.

Niklaus' smile was so wide that it looked like it would swallow him entirely. "What is that line from the classic fantasy novel again?" He asked cheerfully, already knowing the answer to his question as he caught the other man's eyes with his. "Oh, that's right." He paused and stretched the next words, "It's alive!"

"You truly are a madman."

"No madder than you."

Elijah watched the woman thoughtfully as her fingers started to twitch, before she was moving her entire hand. Damon was watching with wide eyes. He had truly believed that he had killed the woman and that had been all, he hadn't expected her to come back from the dead. None of them had. This meant that they had the ability to transform normal humans into monsters like them. He had no clue what that meant to the man upstairs, but it meant something to him because he was rejoicing loudly.

_'Her scent... I swear I recognize it from somewhere...' _Elijah thought to himself. His mind was not on the wonder occurring it was on the woman.

_**'Rebekah grinned as Hayley told her that she liked her new fragrance. Then she turned and walked toward Elijah who gave her a wary look. "Your wife appears to like it, but I am in need of a man's opinion." She took a few steps toward him, full lips twisted up into a devious grin. She was not actually flirting with him, she just tended to act this way with most people.**_

_**"What do you think of my new perfume, Elijah?"**_

_**Elijah stared over his shoulder at his wife and waited for her to tell him what to do. He always wanted to be polite and do right by her, and he would hate if she thought that he fancied Rebekah. They were friends. He did not wish to taint that.**_

_**Leaning in he took a whiff of her perfume. A mix of vanilla and freshly cut roses filled his nostrils and he liked the scent. It was pleasant.  
**_

_**"It is quite a lovely scent, Rebekah." He told her.'**_

"Rebekah." He muttered under his breath as the memory hit him like a speeding train. He had no doubt in his mind now that it was her.

"Who's Rebekah?" Damon wondered, staring over at the man. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

"A friend."

The girl pushed herself off of the ground and her head was throbbing as she attempted to stand to her feet. Her body felt heavy and she noticed quickly that she was wearing very little clothing. She had no idea what was going on and she could only remember bits and pieces. Even those seemed to be a nightmare. She could recall someone feeding her blood, she could taste the iron on her tongue as she swallowed hard and finally got to her feet only to stumble and fall to her knees.

She was now facing a group of horrifying creatures who were all staring her down with red eyes and blood coated skin. They had fangs in their mouths and they looked prepared to attack her if told to do so.

All of them aside from one.

She recognized him instantly. It was Elijah. The man that she had been looking for.

Their eyes connected and she could not look away from him. He looked like a monster, like the rest of them. What terrified her more than that was that she could feel something pushing beneath her gums, trying to tear through. The throbbing pain intensified and her heart raced loudly in her ears. Everything was overwhelming.

Rebekah tried to stand and take another step, but she stumbled again. "Elijah." She called out. "What's going on?"

Elijah used his enhanced abilities and he hurried across the room, catching the blonde in his arms before she could fall to the hard concrete ground. He instantly held her body close to his and started to whisper soft words of encouragement.

Damon watched from across the room as the proper man stroked his fingers through blonde hair and attempted to calm the young woman. It was evident that they knew each other. He had said that she was a friend. He wondered if any of his friends could be around. He wondered how many people that they loved, this madman was going to torture.

"Ah!" Niklaus proclaimed. "Goodie! It appears that you have already been acquainted!"

_**'I Fight To Make You Happy, I War To Win Your Heart.**_

_**I'd Fight Forever For You, I Ache When We're**_** Apart.'**

Stefan and Bonnie had now migrated to the dining room. They were both sitting at the small table, sipping their coffee and reminiscing about the man that they had lost. Marcel had taken Sheila out for a while in order to give the two of them space to talk. Though, he didn't particularly like or approve of it, he understood that they both needed time to deal with the passing of someone that they loved. Stefan could relate to what his wife was going through and he couldn't.

Plus, he wanted to get out and make sure that Sheila was having a good time. Even at such a young age her anxiety about what was going on with her mother was evident.

He didn't want her to worry.

Smiling, Stefan lifting his coffee to his lips and sipped on it before saying, "You know, I really can't believe that you ended up marrying Marcel."

Bonnie laughed a little, tracing the rim of her glass with her finger nervously. Her feelings were confused and mixed. "Why not?"

"I guess I always thought you'd end up marrying Damon." He shrugged his shoulders. Back in high school everyone had expected the two of them to end up together. They spent all of their time together and their actions were often a little more than friendly. He would know, his best friend had been a woman as well. And they had crossed that line a few times. "The two of you were so in love back in high school."

"We weren't in love." She dismissed with raised brows and wide eyes. When Stefan shot her a look that said he didn't believe her, she defended her words, "We weren't! Damon never did anything to cross any lines with me. He was always just a friend."

"But he wanted to cross those lines."

A blush covered her cheeks at the thought of Damon wanting to blur the lines between friendship and romance. But, it also made her feel sick. Because, as much as she had wished for that to happen, as much as she longed for more, she knew that it would never happen. She would never even see him alive and well again. She would never even have his friendship again.

"Besides." Stefan stated with a smirk. "I remember distinctively that you two did cross those lines."

Bonnie scoffed and raised a brow at him, "What are you talking about?"

He laughed and lent forward a little, catching her eyes with his own. She had a feeling that she knew what he was about to say. There was only one time that she and Damon had ever crossed into romantic territory. Unless you counted the fact that they snuggled regularly.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." He paused. "The night of the senior party. There was a heated game of spin the bottle."

She looked confused and her blush had intensified. "How do you know about that?"

"Just because you don't remember me being there doesn't mean I wasn't."

_**'Stefan was sitting in a circle of people with an uncertain look on his face. He hadn't wanted to join in the game, he thought it was childish and honestly didn't know how the game had survived for so many years. He thought it would be better buried in history like Disco music had been. But, his best friend Lexi disagreed with him and thought that it would be a fun idea. **_

_**So, here he was.**_

_**She was always convincing him to do crazy things.**_

_**Bonnie was watching Damon intently as the older man crawled toward the center of the circle and placed his fingers on the bottle, gripping it, before twisting his hand in a circle and sending the bottle flying. Her stomach was flipping jealously as she thought about him kissing another woman at the party. She knew that he had kissed and slept with plenty of women in his years on Earth, but she didn't want to have to watch it. She wanted him to be kissing her.**_

_**Staring at the bottle she tried to will it to land on her. Even the thought of kissing Damon caused her heart to leap. She had always wondered what it would be like to kiss him.**_

_**Damon watched the bottle with eager blue eyes, sitting up on his knees and waiting to see who it would land on. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but there was a certain woman that he hoped it would land on. **_

_**Finally, the bottle came to a halt and he followed it to the woman sitting next to him. It was pointing directly at his best friend and he could feel the butterflies fill his stomach as he looked at her. She was blushing and it was adorable. Bonnie Bennett was the most beautiful woman in the world. Smirking, he crawled toward her and looked her in the eyes, "Looks like it's me and you, Bon-Bon."**_

_**"Uh yeah." She chewed on her bottom lip. "Let's just get this over with."**_

_**Any time that she was confronted with her feelings for Damon she just dismissed them. She didn't want to seem desperate for his attentions. She didn't want to seem like that younger friend hanging all over him. If he wanted more then he would have to make a move.**_

_**"Don't act like you aren't beyond excited to kiss me." He grinned and waggled his brow at her. Searching her eyes for the answers he desired as he lent a little bit closer. Only a breath separating their lips now.**_

_**Bonnie couldn't think of anything to say in response. Her eyes were lost in his and her breath was caught in her throat. She noticed that Damon's eyes darkened with desire and she blushed brightly glancing down at his lips and running her tongue over her own. She had always wondered what it was like to kiss him and now she would finally know.**_

_**Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. Her mind was racing. **_

_**Damon reached up and gently stroked her dark hair behind her ear, teasing the skin of her cheek with his fingertips and leaving a trail of heat behind with every touch. The simple touch caused Bonnie to shudder and her eyes to flutter closed. She couldn't help it. His touch drove her crazy. Then without warning he lent forward and captured her lips with his own in a slow and sensual kiss. **_

_**She let out a hum of approval into his lips and he tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her closer and applying more pressure to the kiss. Both of them wanted to intensify it. They wanted to make it more passionate, more heated, but neither of them dared. Fear of ruining their perfect friendship weighing heavily on their minds. Instead they reveled in the moment. Memorizing the softness of each other's lips, the way that they tasted, the way that they felt. **_

_**Then they pulled apart.**_

**_Damon watched with a smile as Bonnie's eyes fluttered open and she let out a soft breath.'_**

"That look you two shared was a look of two people who were in love, Bon." He grinned. "And you will never convince me otherwise so don't even try."

Bonnie was blushing profusely as she recalled kissing Damon and the way that his lips had felt against her own. To this day it had still been the most memorable kiss she had ever shared with any man. She could still remember every second and every touch, every taste, and she never wanted to forget. Especially not now. She wanted to remember everything about him. The thought of forgetting him terrified her.

"I didn't even know you were there." She stated pointedly.

"Yeah, I was kind of invisible to you back then."

A knock at the door drew them both out of their conversation and they looked to the front door. Neither of them had been expecting any visitors and the few people that Bonnie was friends with wouldn't knock. They would just come in.

"Who could that be?" She asked aloud, exchanging a look with Stefan.

_**'I'm Fighting For Us. My Heart Is A Soldier.**_

_**I'm Killing Myself. My Heart Is A Soldier Marching To Die.'**_

"It appears that my theory was correct." Niklaus spoke with such pride that it disgusted Mikael. This was his project to be proud about. These were his children. "If you inject the blood of one of the creatures into a human host before they die, then they become one of them."

"This is a wonderful theory, Nik. But we cannot be certain that it will work the same way with every human. It could be a different reaction with each individual infected, we would have to research it more thoroughly." He tried to regain control of the situation.

"No time for that."

"What do you mean?" Mikael questioned. "What are you planning to do with this new information?"

"I plan to test the loyalty of my children by entrusting my life to them." Niklaus grinned. "In the process of doing so, they are going to transform me into an immortal being just like themselves."

"Nik, you cannot be suggesting-"

"-I am." He interrupted the older man.

"If you go down to the cellar they will kill you." Mikael warned.

"I think not." He sang. "I think that they will do exactly as they are told and they will turn me into one of them. Either way, I suppose we are about to find out which of our theories is correct."

Niklaus lent forward and pressed down the button to the intercom, speaking into the microphone and catching the attention of the creatures below. He noticed that the female in the group was being protected by the man who had caught her. "Enough with this precious reunion!" He spoke loudly, causing Rebekah to jump. She still didn't have control over her senses. "Now that my theory has been tested, it is time for us to finally be acquainted."

Damon furrowed his brow at the man. He couldn't believe that he was going to actually come down and meet them. _'This guy has more guts than I do.'_

"When the door opens and I enter the room, if any of you attack then your loved ones will be killed. Not only the one who attacks me, but everyone else's loved ones shall be killed along with them." Niklaus watched as the men started to panic. Some of them still wanted to kill him he was sure, but the others would stop them. "So, I suggest no one allow me to die, understood?"

Most of the creatures nodded their understanding.

Damon looked over at Elijah as the man in the glass box disappeared from their sight. Elijah looked just as prepared to kill any of the creatures that tried to attack the madman. He looked prepared to defend his family and the ones he loved. Both of them had come to far to allow one of the other men in the room to get the people that they loved killed.

"If any of you move to attack him. I will personally see to your end." Elijah spoke in a calm tone.

Damon smirked at this. He was happy to see that his friend was now completely on board with doing whatever they needed in order to get out safe and keep their loved ones protected. "Yeah." He paused and looked over at the other creatures. "What he said."

The doors opened and Niklaus started to walk into the room, surrounded by a herd of men in helmets. Elijah caught one of the creatures fidgeting out of the corner of his eye and he knew that he was thinking about attacking. He didn't blame him. He wanted to kill the madman too, but he was not going to risk everything he loved to do so. They had to be smart about this.

Before the creature could charge at the man, Elijah gripped onto his throat and squeezed tightly, ripping it from his shoulders and throwing it to the ground. Blood covered his body as he watched the lifeless corpse fall. He knew that he would not be lifeless for long, so he did not feel guilty. He was doing what he had to. His head would grow back it would just take some time.

The men in helmets rushed to grab hold of his corpse and drag him into the other room. He would be detained and the ones he loved would die.

He had known the risk.

Niklaus grinned and cocked his head to the side, looking the man dead in the eyes. "Thank you, my child."

"I did not do it for you." Elijah would not sacrifice himself. He would not act like he cared at all about the man's safety. He despised him for what he had done to all of the men in the room. To Rebekah.

"How about you do something for me now, then?" He laughed and took a few steps toward the man. "Come here and feed me your blood."

He clenched his jaw tightly and internally fought a war. He did not want to give the bastard standing before him eternal life. He did not want to give him any more power then he deserved. If he killed him now then he would be dead forever and there was a chance that the man was bluffing about having men and the ability to kill the people that they loved.

Elijah could not take that bet though. It was not worth it.

"I'll happily do it if it means I get to kill ya." Damon interrupted with a smirk, taking a few steps toward the man. He could tell that his friend was internally conflicted and he could sense his hesitation. He didn't want him to be detained for his behavior.

"No." Niklaus shouted angrily, stopping Damon in his tracks. "I want it to be him." He looked back to Elijah and stared deep into his eyes. "You have already proven yourself to me on multiple accounts. Now it is your friend's turn to do the same."

Elijah did not break eye contact with the man as he approached him, lifting his wrist and biting into the skin in order to draw blood from it. He didn't want to do it, but he had to prove his worth. He and Damon would figure something out later. It would be pointless if they escaped now only to return home to nothing. He held out his wrist to the man, dripping with blood, offering him a drink.

"You may have my blood." He told him. "But know this. Eternal or not, you shall die by my hand one day."

Niklaus laughed at his threat. He did not feel like the words were true. He was too powerful to be brought down. Leaning in he latched his mouth around the wound and he started to drink the blood eagerly. Part of him believed that the more blood he consumed before dying then the more power he would attain in his afterlife.

Finally, he pulled away and wiped the remaining blood from his lip with his thumb before sucking it clean.

"I suppose now you will have the luxury of venting all of that anger that you have toward me." Niklaus caught Elijah's eyes and smirked. "Kill me."

_**'I Fight To Make It Easy. I Push To Give You Time.**_

_**I Fight Our Losing Battle. I Bleed To Stay Alive.'**_

Pulling the door open, she was shocked to see a man standing in front of her that she did not recognize. He had a smile on his lips and he was wearing a military uniform. She instantly wondered if he knew Damon. _'Maybe he is one of his friends from the war... I have so many questions... but why is he smiling if he is his friend?'_

He looked the woman over and stated playfully, "So, you must be the infamous Bonnie Bennett."

Bonnie was surprised when he walked through the front door without being invited into her house. It caused her chest to tighten and her guards to go up. She didn't know this man and she didn't know how he knew her. "Yeah, that's me. Who are you?"

He took a step toward her and attempted to give her a once over. There was flirtation in his eyes and a smirk on his lips as he spoke the next words, "Now it is all clear why he was so insistent about never giving up on you." He paused and Bonnie wondered what he was talking about. Who he was talking about. "You are just as lovely as he said."

Stefan quickly moved between the two of them and stared him directly in the eyes. He was going to protect her. She was one of the last people that mattered in his life and neither of them knew who the man was. "She asked you a question."

The man let out a loud sigh and took a step back. "Pardon me. I should have introduced myself." He looked over his shoulder at Bonnie and told her, "My name is Kol. Damon and I shared a bunk for the five years that we were on base together. We were best friends." He paused. "I'm surprised that he never mentioned me before. He mentioned you all the time."

_**'It's Hard To Tell, When All I See,**_

_**Is Temporarily Between, The Way It Should And Shouldn't Be.'**_

* * *

**Author's Note :**

**SO! KOL IS HERE! Yay! Haha the next chapter will have Bonnie finding out about Marcel's treachery. Then there will be a time skip and then it will be close to when they are reunited so bear with me! I hope that y'all are still enjoying this story. Sorry about yesterdays chapter, it was not wonderful, I felt really depressed and I couldn't bring myself to finish. BUT, here is this chapter to make up for it! :)) How do y'all feel about Niklaus!? What about Rebekah!? Where is Lexi, are she and Stefan together? Still friends? What about Marcel? Did you enjoy the Stefonnie and the Bamon memory!? That Bamon kiss! :)) Their next kiss will be FAR more heated and passionate!**

**Please do tell me what y'all think and I promise to get the next chapter up ASAP!**

**Thank you all so much for reading!  
**

**I love you all!  
**

**-Tracy Cook-**


	9. Chapter 9

**You'll Never Take Our Humanity**

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Bonnie x Damon, Hayley x Elijah

Warnings : There will be mentions of death, morbidity, graphic sex, alcohol, war, violence, suicide, etc. Do not read if these things bother you. This will be a very dark story. There will be vampires in this fic, but it is AU.

Rating: M

**Chapter Nine**

_**'Let's Sing A Song To End The World.'**_

"I should have killed him." Elijah stated under his breath as he watched the lifeless body of the madman on the ground. He had twisted his limbs to the point that he was hardly recognizable. It was the least that he could do. He wanted him to suffer. He wanted him to feel the pain that he was causing all of them. Still, he would soon be alive again, and more powerful then ever. And that was all thanks to him.

Damon watched his friend and he could see the hesitation written in the lines of his face. He felt guilty for being selfish. He felt like he might have made the wrong decision. "You did what you had to do."

"He could have been bluffing about killing our loved ones."

"Would it have been worth the risk to test him?"

"Obviously not." He said with a nod toward the man's mangled body.

Damon's lips twisted up into a devious smirk as he cast his eyes toward the corpse of the man. He hadn't expected Elijah to be so violent and cruel, but he supposed that he had his reasons. All of them had their reasons to hate the man. This man had kidnapped them, taken everything from them that they loved and destroyed their humanity. He had transformed them into murderous beings to be used by him and disposed of as he wished.

He knew that he should feel relieved that his family was safe. But, Elijah couldn't help but feel responsible for granting this man eternal life and power. He had so many questions rushing through his mind. Who was this man? What was he planning to do with the power that he attained? What was he planning to do with them? How many people would die in the name of protecting the people that they loved? How many people should die? Should any of the people die at all?

His morality was taking a toll on him.

Honestly, he knew that it was wrong. You should always save the many above saving the few and what he had done had put everyone on earth in danger. But, he had to protect Hayley and their family.

Elijah examined the disfigured corpse as it started to twitch and his bones started to snap back into place. It truly was an astonishing sight. Whomever had invented them had been a genius. He was out of his mind inventing creatures so powerful, but most geniuses were. The man appeared to be in immense pain as his body twisted back to normal.

His resurrection was painful and this caused the corner of Elijah's lips to twist up in delight.

He only wished he could have caused him more pain.

The psychopath snapped his neck back into place and moved so that he was kneeling and staring up at all of them. Throwing his head back, he screamed out in pain as fangs broke through the skin of his gums and veins rose beneath his eyes. He had not expected the experience to be so painful, but in the end it would be worth it. His exhilaration was far more intense than the pain. He could feel the power rushing through his veins. It was intoxicating. He wanted more power, it was all that he craved and he knew exactly how to attain it.

He needed blood.

"Send in the next victim!" Niklaus shouted loudly to Mikael. Elijah and Damon exchanged looks of horror as he said those words, he was going to kill more innocent people. "Send them all in!"

The doors opened and nearly forty innocent people were pushed into the cellar. They ranged in age from young children to elderly. Some were men, some were women. They all had one thing in common though. None of them had done anything to deserve such cruelty.

Elijah turned to look at Damon and Rebekah only to see that they too were disgusted by what they were seeing. Rebekah looked like she was on the verge of tears. Some of the people in the room were young enough to be her child. She couldn't help but sympathize with them and it made her want to lash out at the man. She had no power to do anything.

The people all looked so scared.

He wrapped his arm around the blonde's shoulders and pulled her body close to his. Part of it was to help her feel better about the situation and to comfort her, and the other part was to protect her and his family. Elijah loved Rebekah. She was one of his only friends and he didn't want her to be detained for acting out of line. Along with this, he knew that her best friend was Hayley, so if she did anything to upset the man in charge his family would still die for it.

The lunatic did not waste a second as he rushed around the room, violently massacring every last one of them. He jumped up on their shoulders as Damon had, and he drained the blood from their veins feeling as the warm liquid ran through his veins and granted him more power. With each victim he felt more powerful and he liked the way it felt. He did not stop until blood covered the floors of the cellar and forty bodies lay in severed pieces scattered around the room.

Elijah could not understand the man. He had no remorse, no feelings of guilt. It was like he enjoyed killing these pure people. Even the women and children. He slaughtered them with ease. Without a care in the world of how much life they had ahead of themselves, how many people loved them, who would miss them.

_'How can one man be so inhuman? No matter what he asks of us, he will never take my humanity. Not as he himself has lost his so long ago.'_

"Come my children!" He sang, drenched in the blood of the humans. "Indulge in their blood! Understand your true calling! Understand your true potential!"

Some of the creatures did as they were told. They craved the taste of the blood and they wanted to feed on the humans. But, Elijah chose to take a step toward the man and stare him straight in the eyes as he spoke, "How powerful you must feel, killing innocent human beings." He lifted his hands pointing to the dead bodies. "These people have no ability to fight back. You may as well be slaughtering cattle."

He growled out angrily and moved hastily toward the proper man. "Is that a challenge?"

"An observation." Elijah stated simply.

Damon chewed on his cheeks, watching as Elijah stood up to the man. He wanted to step in and save him from his own morality, but he was too selfish to do so. He was too selfish when it came to his love for Bonnie and his brother.

"While I do not appreciate the way that you are speaking to me." He reprimanded, taking another step toward Elijah and lifting his chin to assert his dominance. The look on his face said that he was angry with the man for standing up to him.

"Do something." Rebekah spat at Damon.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked, blue eyes widening as he stared into hers. He would gladly risk his life, but he wasn't risking the people he loved. Not for a man he hardly knew.

"Something!"

Niklaus stared the man down for a minute longer, internally debating whether or not he should rip his head from his shoulders and send him to be detained. Finally, he decided that he would let it slide. It was only a kink in his plans. Of course, they would have guilt. Mikael had designed them to have guilt, but he had watched Elijah kill an innocent teenage girl not long before and he knew he was capable of doing so again. Words were just that, words. His actions spoke louder and he would do anything to protect his precious loved ones.

Taking a step back he lifted his hands and a smirk spread across his face as he said, "Still, what you say is true!" He admitted.

All of the creatures were shocked to hear his admittance. Was he actually starting to feel remorse for what he was doing?

"Powers such as this should not be wasted on such pathetic beings!" He declared, laughing maniacally. "I have far bigger plans for them after all!"

_**'I'm Hanging Like A Spider, In Suspended Time And Space.**_

_**Your Thoughts Are All I Need To Keep Me Breathing.'**_

Lifting the cup of coffee to his lips, he blew on it to cool it down a bit, before taking a small sip. Dark brown eyes stared over the brim of the cup at the young woman seated across from him. He could not deny that she was lovely. Now he understood why Damon had been so caught up on her. Though, he was still the type to jump from woman to woman. He did not see a purpose in being tied down to one girl who would ultimately be destroyed by his death. He would rather not be missed by anyone.

Setting down his cup he said, "I still can't believe that bastard is actually dead." He laughed a bit, coming off as insensitive to the two people who sat on the other side of the table.

"For someone who claims to have been his best friend, you don't seem very broken up about it." Bonnie pointed out. Her jaw was clenched tightly as she glared over at him. She hated how nonchalant he was acting over Damon's death. It was like he didn't miss him at all.

"That's because he and I ended on good terms, love." Kol's lips twisted up into a grin. "Unlike the two of you, I wager."

Her chest tightened when she heard his words. They made her feel regret for how she ended things with Damon. She hadn't even had the chance to speak with him one last time before he died. She hadn't had the chance to tell him how much she missed him, how sorry she was that she had missed the train, how she had always loved him. Perhaps that was playing into why she was so broken up about his death. Perhaps if she had ended things with him on good terms she would feel a little more at peace. She would still be devastated, but she wouldn't feel so guilty.

She wouldn't hate herself so much.

Kol lent against the table so that he could be closer to Bonnie as he spoke, "Let me tell you a little secret about the war, sweetheart." He paused. "Every day that you are on that battlefield is literal Hell on earth. I watched hundreds of my closest mates die before my very eyes. And just the fact that Damon survived as long as he did was a blessing."

"This is a blessing?" Stefan asked frustrated with the statement. He didn't understand the man at all. He didn't understand the way that people thought in the war, to him war was pointless.

"Yes."

"So, you don't miss him at all?" Bonnie wondered. Kol turned his attention back to the young woman. "You have no regrets?"

"Of course I miss him. He's my best mate." Kol stated like it was obvious. He missed all of his friends who died in the war and he would miss Damon more than any of them. But, he understood the concept of death better than others. "But, we always prepared for this to happen. Every night before lights out he would call up to me from the bottom bunk and tell me "if you die tomorrow, it's been real."

Kol lent back in his chair. "As for regrets."

Stefan watched the man speak indifferently about the death of his brother and he was caught somewhere between hating him and hating himself. He and Bonnie were living in a world of regrets. They both hated themselves for what they had done the last time they saw Damon. They both wanted to fix their mistakes and they couldn't. He envied how Kol spoke about death and his last moments with Damon.

"The only regret I have is that I wasn't there that night getting bloody wasted with my best mate." He admitted. "Perhaps I could have saved him, perhaps I would have died with him." With a shrug of his shoulders he laughed a little, "All I know is it would have been one hell of a night."

"Was the war really so bad that you would rather be dead then ever have to go back?" Bonnie asked. She could read between the lines.

"Yes, it was."

Her stomach tangled into knots and sorrow filled her green eyes as she gave him a sympathetic smile. He must have been through so much torture every day to feel like he would be better off dead. She wondered if Damon felt the same way. She wondered what kept him fighting. "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be!" Kol laughed louder this time. "It was our choice after all!" He paused and took another sip of his coffee before adding in a serious, yet playful tone. "We are all imbeciles to be honest." He grinned.

It was true, after joining the war he wondered every day what stupid reason he had for doing so? Was he fighting for a country? Fighting for the money? Fighting because he had nothing left to live for? "But, we all found our coping mechanisms. For me it is shagging hundreds of lovely ladies, and plenty of alcohol. For Damon it was pining over you like a lost puppy dog."

Bonnie furrowed her brow. She was quickly growing agitated with his jabs at her. "Did you just come here to make me feel bad about the past?"

"No." Kol quickly dismissed this. "I came because the two of you are probably the only two who truly understand what losing Damon feels like. In case you weren't aware, he didn't have a lot of friends or family."

Both Bonnie and Stefan remained silent as he said this. It was true. They were the only two people that cared about Damon back home. His parents were gone, and he had never made a lot of friends in high school. No one else would miss him. The three people sitting in the dining room were the only ones that truly understood how special he was and how important he was to the world.

"I missed his memorial." He said. "I had to visit some family after getting back on leave and I didn't hear about it until it was too late. And I suppose I just wanted to spend some time with the few people that actually loved him as much as I did."

Kol didn't throw around the word 'love' loosely. He rarely loved anyone. In fact he didn't love anyone aside from his family. But, after five years of living together Damon had become a brother to him and he did love him.

"Even if neither of you knew the right way to show that you loved him." He added with spite on his tongue. He couldn't help but feel anger toward them. Neither of them deserved to mourn over the man after how they had treated him. Damon had told him countless stories about how Stefan and him had fought over his life choices, and he was there when Bonnie never showed at the station. He watched as his best mate wrote home to the woman he loved endlessly only to never receive a reply. How could anyone be so heartless?

"Damon didn't want anything to do with me after I missed the train." Her frustration was intensifying. This man acted like he knew what she had been going through since Damon left for the war. "But, I never stopped loving him."

"Didn't want anything to do with you?" He asked sarcastically. "The poor lad was borderline obsessed with you. Every single minute of the bleeding day he was writing to you, asking you to wait for him to come back home to you! Saying how he wanted your hand in marriage and whatnot." He laughed. Bonnie Bennett saying that Damon wanted nothing to do with her was the most laughable sentence he had ever heard.

Bonnie suddenly felt nauseous as her stomach flipped and she repeated his words in her head a few times. She was trying to grasp on to them. To understand them. Kol had just told her that Damon had been writing to her, asking to marry her, asking her to wait. That couldn't be possible though, she had never received a single letter since the day he left. She had waited and hoped every single day that she would, but she never had.

_'He has to be lying... He has to be...' _The alternative thoughts running through her head were too hard to swallow.

Stefan was looking between the two of them. He could practically see the way that Bonnie was falling to pieces before them.

"What are you talking about?" Her voice shook and tears filled her eyes. She felt like someone was standing on her chest. She couldn't breathe. "Damon never wrote to me."

Kol lent forward on the table so that he was staring Bonnie in the eyes, searching them for the truth. She had to know that Damon had wrote to her all of those years. How could she not? "I guarantee that he did, dear."

Her heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly as she listened to his words. She was trying not to believe them. Trying not to start doubting everything she had believed in for the last five years. She was trying not to jump to conclusions.

"He spent every night writing to you." He explained. "Telling you of his troubles, his guilt, his worries, and his love for you. He loved you more than I have ever seen someone love. Not once did he date another. He was always waiting to return to you, his precious Bonnie Bennett. The lass he insisted would write back to him someday." Kol saw the sorrow in her eyes, he saw the confusion, he saw the truth. Bonnie had never received the letters. "But, you never did write him back."

_'This isn't possible... How could I never get those letters...?' _Tears were now rolling down her cheeks and her full lips were parted. She couldn't speak though, she didn't know what to say.

"But I see now that you never received his letters?" He asked.

Bonnie's heart was hammering loudly in her ears as she breathed out, "No... I-I never got any letters..."

Kol was feeling like a fool with his foot stuck in his mouth at this point. Which was not uncommon for him. But, right now it made him feel guilty. He had just accused this woman of never loving his best mate, when in reality she had never received any of the letters and she blatantly loved him. Her heart was breaking right before his very eyes. Cocking his head to the side, he squinted his eyes at her. "That is odd."

"No." Her voice was shaking with rage as she started to piece together the puzzle.

Marcel had lied about remembering Damon and she knew as much, but she didn't know why. Not until this very moment. He had been the one to stand between her and Damon on her way to the station. He had started texting her the week that Damon was gone, like he knew that she was broken up about it. He had comforted her after Damon left and made his way into her heart. And now she was starting to wonder if it was all a plan. If he had always planned to have her to himself. Would he have really gone as far as to steal her letters?

"It's actually all starting to make a lot of sense."

_**'The Man You Fell For, Fell Apart.**_

_**'He Let His Demons Out Of The Dark.'**_

"Since someone was in such a rush to get to the main objective." Niklaus announced with a wide smile, his arms open as he paced the room, staring down his children. He looked even more like a lunatic with the blood smeared across his face and hardening in his hair. "Perhaps it is time that I divulge my plans for you all."

Elijah was now standing back in line with Damon and Rebekah. Waiting anxiously to hear what the man had planned for them.

"The plan is quite simplistic, really. Perhaps even too predictable for my taste." He laughed and linked his hands together as he sang the next words, "World domination."

Some of the creatures gasped, others stared in confusion, some started to grow angry. But, the consensus of the room was shock. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. They couldn't believe what the man was attempting to accomplish. It was insanity.

"Oh, don't look at me like that!" He spat at the men who were giving him disapproving looks. Some of them looked downright disgusted with him. "You act as if this world has not already been dominated by war and treachery!" Niklaus truly did believe he was doing what was best for the world. He could run it better than the fools in power. Taking a step toward the men he explained. "What I am suggesting will change all of that! There will no longer be any sides! There will no longer be any need for war!"

Damon raised a brow at him, his jaw clenched and muscles tense. "Because everyone will be ruled by you?" He asked sarcastically.

It sounded like a terrible world. He would rather fight in the war a thousand times than be dictated by the power-hungry man standing before him.

"Precisely." Niklaus said.

"Sorry, but that sounds like a terrible idea." Damon emphasized playfully on the word terrible.

"More terrible than the world you currently live in?" He asked, his voice rising with frustration. Why could these men not understand his vision and how right he was? "A world in which you endlessly go off to serve in a pointless war in order to sustain what you call a life? It's pathetic!"

He furrowed his brow and glared at the madman, but he could not deny his words. He related to them which only made him all the more angry. He didn't want to relate to anything that the man before him said. Still, he could not deny that he hated the world that he lived in. A world of peace, with no war, would be wonderful. But, that was not the world he was offering.

Niklaus stared deep into his blue eyes and smiled. "I can see it, you know."

He stepped back and looked at all of the creatures. "I can see it in all of your eyes! You are all tired of wasting away on this pathetic rock you call earth! Fighting in order to live! Fighting in order to protect the ones you love!"

Silence filled the room. His words were not lies.

When the man started to speak again, his words came out softer than before. Damon could almost swear that they sounded sincere. That he sounded honest. But, he did not trust him. "If I were to rule, none of you would ever have to worry again." He said. "There would be no more war! We would live lavishly, all of us, and your loved ones! We would be safe!"

The idea was beautiful.

_'There is no way he'd just let us live in peace. Besides, he's asking us to fight his war now.' _Damon thought to himself.

"It looks like I got all of your attention with that!" Niklaus stated.

Damon still wasn't buying it. "So, we help you dominate the world." He stated sarcastically, with a raise of his brows. "And then you just let us live happily ever after with our loved ones?"

"Basically."

"Nuh-uh, not buying it." He spat.

"Then perhaps you should allow me to finish my explanation?" His tolerance for Damon's sarcasm was wearing thin. He knew that he would be a worthy solider, but he did not want men around who wanted to defy him at every turn. He and his friend were proving bothersome. "If you do not mind, that is."

When the man was silent, Niklaus continued to explain what he had planned. "We shall invade each and every Precinct all across the land, one by one. We will kill anyone who goes against us, turn those whom we deem worthy to be a part of our forces, and those that freely choose to follow us shall live." He grinned. He thought the plan was ingenious.

"And what of our loved ones?" Elijah asked. Hayley, Elizabeth, and their unborn child were the ones he cared most about.

"They shall inhabit a special Precinct that I myself have invested in building specifically for that purpose. Precinct 31."

Everyone looked around, confused by the news. There were only thirty Precincts on the planet and none of them had heard news of a new one being built. In fact no new Precincts had been built in hundreds of years. This man must have been very wealthy to build one specifically to house their loved ones until the war was over.

"In this Precinct they will be treated as royalty. I have provided the nicest housing for them, along with food, clothes, and many other benefits. They will be surrounded by luxury. And with walls towering the outskirts of the Precinct they shall also be safe." He could see the way that the men were starting to bend, they were starting to give in to the idea. They were starting to give in to him.

"No harm will come to your loved ones." Niklaus ensured. "I promise you that."

_**'Dad, Your Boy Who Used To Run, You Taught Him How To Crawl.**_

_**He Left Home To Find His Own, Now All He Had Is Gone.'**_

"You're being ridiculous, Bonnie!" Marcel screamed at his wife as she continued going through his things. He had come home to see Stefan and a man he didn't know sitting in his dining room talking, while there were loud thuds coming from his bedroom. He had left Sheila with the boys who were more than happy to watch her, and he had gone into the bedroom to find the woman he loved throwing all of his things around the room.

Bonnie ignored him completely as she searched through his dresser drawers. It seemed like such a silly place to hide something, but then again, she had never gone through his drawers before. She had no reason to.

She reached far into the back of his pants drawer and then suddenly there was a hand on her arm, and she was twisted harshly around by her husband who was staring down at her with angry eyes. She was suddenly feeling backed into a corner and she didn't like the feeling at all. She didn't like the way that he had pulled on her arm.

Lifting her chin she spat seriously, "Let go of me."

He didn't let go of her as he tried to explain. "Bon, please, don't let this guy get to you." His tone was sincere and that hurt Bonnie even more. She couldn't help but feel this sick twinge in her gut that told her he was lying. It told her that he had been lying to her for so many years that he had actually started to believe his lies. "You don't even know him. He might not have even known Damon."

"I believe him." Her voice shook and her jaw tightened as she stared him down. She felt like he was trying to stop her from going through the dresser drawer for a reason and she needed to find out what was in it.

"You believe a complete stranger over your own husband? Over the father of your child?" Marcel asked.

"Right now, you feel like the complete stranger here, Marcel."

"Come on babe." He pleaded with her. "You have to believe that I would never do something to hurt you."

Bonnie lost herself in the honesty shimmering behind his eyes and she wanted more than anything to believe him. She wanted to believe that everything she had based her love for him on hadn't been a lie. She wanted to trust her husband again. "If you want me to believe you then just let me see what is in that drawer."

Marcel suddenly grew irrationally angry and this only made Bonnie more suspicious. "Seriously!?" He shouted. "You are going to go through my things like some crazy girlfriend!"

"If you have nothing to hide then I see no problem."

He pulled his hand away from her arm and threw it into the air, growing more and more angry by the minute. "The problem is, it's an invasion of my privacy! I thought we trusted each other enough not to do these petty things!"

"I guess I don't anymore." Bonnie muttered. She hated saying the words. Turning, she started to go through the dresser drawer again, pushing her hand toward the back of the drawer and moving the pants out of the way. She felt something crumple beneath her fingers and it felt like the edge of an envelope. Her heart started to pound loudly in her chest as she contemplated the thought that it could be a letter from Damon. It could be the final words she would ever read of his, and her husband had possibly hid it from her.

Pulling it out of the drawer, she realized it was only one letter. Lifting it up with a shaky hand she read the name scribbled out on the front. _'Damon Salvatore.' _

Bonnie couldn't begin to comprehend what she was feeling in that moment. She felt like her heart was breaking. She felt like she had missed so many years that she could have been talking to Damon. She felt like she couldn't trust the man who had claimed to love her through it all. The man who had picked up the pieces was the man who had caused her heartbreak in the first place.

In that moment she felt like she lost everything.

The happiness she could have had with Damon and the happiness she had with Marcel.

"What is this?" Bonnie asked slowly. Her voice was nearly a growl.

"Bon, it isn't what it looks like." Marcel attempted to explain as he took a step toward his wife.

She slapped the letter against his chest angrily and glared up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks and her body shaking. "What is this!?" This time she screamed the words. She felt like she was falling apart.

"Bonnie." He whispered sadly. "I can explain."

"Really?" She laughed sarcastically and shook her head at him. "Then explain!"

"I just." Marcel started and then he stopped, reaching out and placing a gentle hand on her arm. She pulled her arm away instantly at the touch. "I know it was wrong of me. I just-I loved you so much and I didn't want him to get in the way of us being together. I knew he was leaving for war and you deserved better than that."

"So you made the decision for both of us!?" Bonnie was still screaming. She didn't know if it was because she was angry or because she was crying so loudly. It was a little of both. "Where are the other letters, Marcel!?" She wanted all of them. Every last one of them. She wanted to read them and see what he had written to her. Read his words. Torture herself with what could have been.

"I-I got rid of them." He said. "That's the only one left. It's the last one he sent before he came back from the war." Marcel tried again to place his hand on her arm and offer her some sense of comfort. But, once again she pushed him away. "Bon, please just forget about this. He's gone now and he isn't coming back no matter how many letters he sent to you. You can't get him back. I'm still here and I love you more than anything, and I know you love me. So please." He paused and spoke with desperation. "Don't read it."

"Get out of my house." Her voice shook violently. Marcel had never seen her so angry before.

"Babe, please-"

"-get out!"

_**'In Your Eyes I See Darkness That Torments You.'**_

* * *

**Author's Note :**

**Thank you all again for reading and leaving me such wonderful reviews! I am so happy that y'all are still enjoying this fic and I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter! Please do tell me what y'all think! Oh and btw eventually they will learn how to control their powers and they will not permanently look like vampires! :)) Also, after this chapter there will be a significant time skip so that we can get closer to the reuniting for Bamon and Haylijah! But, no worries I will include flashbacks so y'all know what you missed!**

**What did you guys think of Klaus' plans? What about Kol? What about Bonnie finding out about Marcel betraying her for so many years? What would you guys like to see happen with them!? What would you guys like to see happen in the next chapters? **

**Thank you all so much for reading! **

**I love you guys so much!**

**-Tracy Cook-**


	10. Chapter 10

**You'll Never Take Our Humanity**

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I do not own anything; these characters belong to the creators of The Vampire Diaries

Pairing: Bonnie x Damon, Hayley x Elijah

Warnings : There will be mentions of death, morbidity, graphic sex, alcohol, war, violence, suicide, etc. Do not read if these things bother you. This will be a very dark story. There will be vampires in this fic, but it is AU.

Rating: M

**Chapter Ten**

_**'I Rely On Myself, Just Making Sure That Was Clear.**_

_**I'm Not In Need Of Your Crutches, I've Faced All My Fears.'**_

_"Bonnie,_

_I don't know why you have not written me back. My biggest fear is that the war has swept you away with it and I will never see you again. Kol, the roommate that I told you about in my other letters, keeps trying to get me to go out and meet girls with him. He keeps insisting that you don't love me any more, but I've told him over and over that there is only one girl for me._

_And that is you._

_I hope that some part of you feels the same way about me. I'm scared that I will return and you will have moved on with another man and left me behind. I'm scared to see you again after so many years of silence. It makes me wonder if the love I felt for you was always one-sided. If you only ever saw us as friends. I wish that you would answer me, even if the words would be painful._

_All I want to know is if you want to spend the rest of your life with me as badly as I want to spend mine with you._

_If not, you can tear up my letters asking for your hand in marriage, you can forget I ever asked and we can be friends again. I will support you with whoever you are dating now, I will love you no matter what. As long as I am a part of your life._

_I'm keeping this letter short and sweet._

_I was only writing to tell you that I am heading home in a few weeks and I want to see you again. Your house will be my first stop._

_Love always,_

_Damon.'_

Green eyes scanned the page for what had to be the millionth time in the last six months. She couldn't stop rereading the letter. She read it every night before she went to sleep, she read it every morning when she woke up. Her mind was consumed with memories of him and thoughts of a future that she could have had with him. A future that was taken away from the two of them by Marcel.

The page was crumpled from being folded too many times and tear stains had smeared the ink. But, for the most part it was intact. The letter, and her daughter, were the two most important things in her life. She cherished them.

She raised a shaky hand and wiped the tears from her cheeks before pressing her lips tightly together and folding the letter back up.

"I guess you didn't really miss much." Bonnie muttered to herself as she stuffed the letter under the old makeshift mattress that she had been sleeping on. Six months ago they had been quarantined in a large environment surrounded by towering walls. They called it Precinct 31. They were told that the war had gotten so violent that they had to keep the civilians hidden away and they would be safe in Precinct 31 because no one else knew about it.

What they didn't seem to care about was giving them the essentials needed to survive.

They didn't provide them with much food, or water, or shelter, or medicine. Basically, they just threw them out into a Precinct that more resembled a sewer filled with garbage, and then they left them there. The doors were sealed so that they could not escape.

Stefan, Kol, Sheila, and her, were what they considered well-off in Precinct 31. They were living in a large pipe which served as a shelter from both wind and rain, and they had some blankets, some food saved up, a few makeshift mattresses that the boys had put together for the girls to sleep on, and they had some boxes for storage.

Most people had it worse.

Bonnie had to remind herself of that every day.

She cast her eyes out of the opening of the large pipe-like structure and she watched as the rain slowed. She had been waiting all day for it to stop raining in hopes that she could take a walk and get some food. They were running out and Sheila would be hungry by mid-day.

At the moment she was sleeping with the boys. Bonnie watched as she snuggled up against Kol's chest and Stefan had an added arm around her for warmth. It was freezing out. Sometimes she would sleep with her mother and sometimes she would sleep in her "own" bed, which usually consisted of both men trying to snuggle on the mattress because it was nicer than the concrete.

She approached her sleeping daughter and reached down to stroke her cheek and give her a small kiss on the head. Her skin felt cold to the touch and it scared her.

In Precinct 31 if you got sick you usually died.

Bonnie caught Stefan's eyes and offered him a small smile, "I'm going to go and get some food can you watch over her?"

"Of course." He said with a genuine smile.

She delivered one final kiss to her daughter's cold forehead and then she squeezed Stefan's shoulder as she headed out of the pipe and into the freezing cold wind of the Precinct. It was still drizzling and she could feel it as it hit her skin. Her body was shaking, but as she looked around she found herself so lost in her thoughts that she didn't mind the cold.

Every time that Bonnie decided to stroll through the Precinct she found herself thinking.

She would look up at the towering walls and wonder what was on the other side. She would wonder how it could possibly be worse than where they were living. She imagined that it was a wasteland covered in the bodies of men and women and children, nuclear waste covering the land, filling the air, the water contaminated. She often times imagined that everyone was dead. Including the people who had locked them inside the Precinct.

_'Why else would they have never come back to check on us?'_

She would see the people who were less fortunate and she would feel a tug of guilt in her chest. She had always had this urge to save people, to help out the less fortunate, but she just couldn't help everyone.

And honestly, people didn't want her help.

They all secluded themselves and hid away. People didn't talk to each other, they didn't trust each other, and they didn't care to know each other. All that they cared about was making sure that they and the people that they cared about were alive. Bonnie didn't know most of the people that lived within the walls, only the few people that she had seen when she took her strolls.

Most of them didn't return her smiles, they just looked away from her.

_'Not all of them though...' _Bonnie thought to herself as she saw a young man that she would never forget. Marcel.

Marcel was standing near one of the berry bushes, picking from it, and he stopped to smile in her direction and wave. He was always trying to be friendly and patch things up, but no matter what he did or said to apologize, she could never seem to find it in her to forgive him. In her mind he had sabotaged and ruined her entire life. In her mind he had been the reason that Damon died that night. The only thing that she thanked him for was their daughter. Sheila was the only good thing that came out of their marriage.

Deep down, Bonnie knew that was a lie.

There had been moments in their marriage that she had loved him very much. They had shared passionate nights, compassionate mornings, and romantic walks in the mid-day. They had spent five years together and they had been for the most part happily married, but now when she looked at him all she saw was a lie. The lie that all of their happiness was based on.

She didn't see much hope for the two of them, but there was always a chance someday she could forgive him.

That day just wasn't today.

She walked in his direction and started to pick berries from another one of the bushes, a ways away from him. She didn't want him to talk to her and try again to explain his actions. Her eyes met his and she saw what she hated seeing behind them. She saw hope.

_**'Bonnie could tell that Sheila was worried about what was going on between her mama and papa. A few weeks ago, she had kicked Marcel out, and every day since he had been bringing her gifts and flowers to try and make up for what he did. But, no amount of candy was going to fix it. She knew that. Every time she looked at him she felt anger and hatred. She felt even more angry because she loved him and now she knew that was all based on a lie.**_

_**This was a man who wanted her badly enough to truly plan every moment. He stole her mail. He made her miss the train. He manipulatively texted her. She couldn't forgive and forget that.**_

_**If Bonnie and Marcel ever got back together again, how could she possibly trust him?**_

_**She just wished that there was an easy way to tell her daughter about what was going on. How do you explain these things to someone who was so young? She only knew about true love like the movies. Where the prince and princess fall madly in love and live happily ever after. She wasn't supposed to know how dark love could be.**_

**_Sheila was resting her head against her mama's chest as she snuggled close to her. She was halfway between sleep and waking and she stared up at her with drowsy green eyes. "When's papa coming home?" She asked. _**

**_She was always asking this._**

**_Every time she asked it broke Bonnie's heart. She wished more than anything she could make it work with Marcel, only for her daughter's sake. She knew what it was like to be raised in a broken family. Luckily she had always had her Grams._**

**_"I told you sweetie. I don't know when papa is coming home." Bonnie told her with a sad smile, running a reassuring hand over her daughter's back. "Papa and mama had a fight, he did some pretty bad things."_**

**_"Bad things?" Sheila asked with a furrowed brow. She knew what being bad was, she did it all the time and got in trouble for it. "Is he in timeout?"_**

**_She couldn't help but laugh. Though, the accuracy was more than a little off-putting. In a way he sort of was in timeout, only it could be forever. "Yeah, kind of." She explained. "I just don't think papa will be around much for a while."_**

**_"I miss him." She said._**

**_"Yeah, me too." It was true. Bonnie did miss him. Bonnie missed the Marcel that she had married, the man who had comforted her in her time of need, not the man who had caused her pain. Not the man who had broken her heart._**

**_A knock at the door caused them both to sit up and stare at it. Stefan and Kol were playing video games in the living room and they hadn't expected anyone else. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that she knew who it was._**

**_Her assumption was proven right when she heard yelling, "Bon-Bon! Please, answer the door! I need to talk to you!"_**

**_"Papa!" Sheila exclaimed, jumping out of the bed and running to open the front door. Bonnie quickly rushed after her daughter. _**

**_When the two year old pulled the door open, they were met with a sad sight before them. Marcel was standing in front of the door, a bottle of vodka in his hand, and he was wobbling. He could barely walk or talk due to the alcohol in his system and he had tears shimmering in his eyes. "Please, Bon-Bon, I know I messed up! I know I did! I just-I just-" He paused and nearly fell over as he took a step into the house, gripping the door frame to stabilize himself. _**

**_"Marcel, I think you should go." Bonnie told him. It hurt to see him like this. So broken and hopeless, but it was his fault. "I'll drive you home."_**

**_"No, no, no!" He shouted. "Wait!" _**

**_Silence filled the room and she crossed her arms over her chest waiting for her husband to explain himself. There was nothing that he could say to change her mind. _**

**_"I just-I did what I did because I loved you! You always loved him more and I just wanted a chance! I know what I did was wrong." Marcel swallowed hard and tried to focus on what he was saying. "What I did was so wrong and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you just let me, please? Please? For us, for our daughter."_**

**_Bonnie's chest tightened painfully and she placed a protective hand on Sheila's shoulder. "Marcel, I want to say yes. I just don't think I can ever look at you the same way again."_**

**_"That's okay! That's fine! I'll prove to you I'm not a liar! I'll prove that I can love you right!"_**

**_"If you really loved me you would have wanted me to do what made me happy." She whispered sadly._**

**_"I know! I was a foolish kid back then and when I finally realized how terrible I was being it was too late! I couldn't lose you!" Tears were falling from his eyes and with each tear that fell Bonnie felt her heart shatter. "Please."_**

**_Suddenly, there was a man walking up behind Marcel, aiming a gun at his head. Bonnie screamed and pushed her daughter back into the house, but there was a man standing inside of her house as well. They grabbed her daughter and they held a gun to her head. None of them moved, they were too scared that they were going to be shot. _**

**_Bonnie's eyes were on Sheila. The poor girl was crying and shaking in fear. She just wanted to reach out and hold her and hide her away from the dark world they lived in._**

**_"Come with us, or we will kill you!" The man shouted at her._**

**_Marcel was drunk and he was acting stupid, his anger amplified by the alcohol and his commonsense lowered, he started to fight back. The men grabbed his arms tightly and he thrashed around and screamed. The barrel of the gun pressed hard against the back of the man's head. _**

**_"Are you Bonnie Bennett?" The man in the helmet asked her._**

**_"Yes."_**

**_"Is this man a part of your family?"_**

**_Bonnie hesitated on answering the question. She didn't understand why she was being asked, and she didn't really know how to answer it on the spot. He was the father of her child, of course he was a part of her family. _**

**_"If he isn't then I am afraid we must kill him." He said the words with such simplicity that it was terrifying. _**

**_Marcel stared over at Bonnie with pleading eyes and she knew that no matter what had happened between the two of them, she couldn't let them kill him, he was still important to her, she still loved him and so did their daughter. "Yes, he's the father of my child!"_**

Marcel never stopped watching her as she picked the berries. From time to time he would stop by and say hi to Sheila, but Bonnie never really spoke to him anymore. Mostly because he refused to just be friends. Every time that she had tried, he had jumped right into asking her if she would ever forgive him and take him back.

She wasn't ready to be in a relationship with him or anyone.

She didn't know if she would ever be ready to be in a relationship again after everything that had happened.

When Bonnie turned to walk away from him, she lifted her hand and gave him a small friendly wave goodbye. She didn't do it to give him hope. She did it to see him smile. She always thought he had such a handsome smile.

_**'You're Scared, Can't Come To Terms With What You Are.**_

_**A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, Will Only Lead You So Far.'**_

Six months.

They had been following the orders of a psychopath for six long months and they still had yet to visit their families. Every time that they asked Niklaus, they were turned down, they were told that in time they would get the opportunity to visit Precinct 31. That they would get to spend time with their families in this lavish facility that he had created.

Damon continued to bite his tongue and clench his jaw tight. He had followed orders for five long years with the hopes of seeing Bonnie again. What was a few more months?

At least that had been what he had been telling himself. Now he was starting to have his doubts. He was starting to question if Bonnie was even alive? If Precinct 31 even existed? And if Niklaus had been feeding them bullshit for the last six months. _'It sure as hell feels like it.' _He thought to himself as he sat in the bar and sipped on his bourbon.

Elijah and Rebekah sitting across from him at the table, sipping on their respective alcoholic beverages.

Over the last six months, they had managed to conquer seventeen Precincts. They now had an army of "bloodsuckers" that reached into the thousands. "Bloodsuckers." That was a term that the people had coined for them. There were a list of names used for them, including the classic "vampire" in some parts of the country, but the most common was "bloodsuckers."

People in the Precincts that hadn't been touched by their darkness spoke of them, they spoke of how they had killed so many innocent people all over the world. They spoke of the monsters in the night with veins in their eyes. They spoke of them like they were a myth.

Damon supposed it was easier for them to believe that it was the military killing so many people. That they were victims of war. Not innocent people being slaughtered and changed into monsters in some ultimate search for world domination. It made him feel sick. He hated himself for the things that he had done, the people that he had killed. It was worse then the war, because at least then he didn't feel so selfish.

When he was fighting in the war, he wasn't only fighting for his family and his happiness, he was fighting for his country. For millions of people.

Now, he was doing it purely for himself and the people he loved.

He was doing it purely for the idea of some sanctuary that probably didn't exist.

Damon could recall one particularly terrible thing that he had done and it haunted him every single night. Elijah, Rebekah, and him, all walked into Precinct 17, pretending to be victims of war so that they would let them in. They pretended to be victims of the "bloodsuckers" so that the innocent people would open the gates to them and let them inside. The people of the Precinct had taken care of them, they had given them a room to stay in, they had fed them, they had helped them.

Over the months they had learnt to control their urges and cravings for blood and with that they had learnt to control the veins beneath their eyes. This allowed them the ability to walk the streets disguised. No one knew that they were dead. No one knew that they were monsters.

And after the people had helped them and given them supper, they had killed them all and eaten them instead.

He could still recall the way that their blood felt rushing through his veins. The way that they had tasted and how much he had liked it and hated himself for liking it. Now they were to do the same to the people of Precinct 18. Niklaus wanted them to kill and change them all. He wanted to control everyone on the face of the planet and he was starting to doubt in him. He was starting to think that Precinct 31 was a sham and everyone he loved was already dead.

He was losing his drive to keep fighting.

Damon finished his drink and set the glass down hard on the table. "I'm starting to think that Klaus is feeding us a load of bullshit about Precinct 31."

"Starting to think?" Rebekah asked in a sarcastic tone as she stirred her drink and stared down into it. She had been doubting things since the moment he said them. He was a power crazy madman that was playing off of their hope. He was using it to get what he wanted. "I have been saying that for months now. Every time we ask anyone about it they don't have a bloody clue what Precinct 31 is or where it is located."

The blonde paused to lift her drink to her lips, sipping from the small straw and eyeing Damon from across the table. "If you ask me, Precinct 31 is a complete sham."

She was the only one of them that did not have much to lose. Her and Matt had broken up a while back, she didn't have a daughter. The only thing that she was fighting for was Hayley, Elijah, and Elizabeth. She loved them all, but she had her doubts if they were alive. Too many things weren't adding up. Nik was getting everything that he wanted and he wasn't providing any evidence that they would get what they wanted.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think you're right, Blondie." Damon sighed.

He was so tired of fighting. Every day was a struggle for him and he just wanted to give up. In a perfect world he would be married to Bonnie, he would help her raise her child and they would have many children of their own. This was the furthest thing from a perfect world though. Who could raise a family in this world? How could he ever be what she needed now that he was a monster?

"Perhaps it is time that we test this theory?" Elijah spoke up, as proper as ever.

Damon had watched the man sitting across from him rip the bones from people's bodies and use them to kill other people, and yet he still managed to sound like a perfect gentleman. It was insane.

"What did you have in mind?" He asked with a waggle of his brows and a smirk on his lips.

"Niklaus has given us two weeks to cool down from the last Precinct we overtook." He told them. "Perhaps we should take these two weeks and put them to use. I suggest that we go out in search of this so-called Precinct 31 and we find out for ourselves if it does in fact exist or not." Elijah shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, but inside he was a mess of emotions.

He missed his wife, he missed his child. Every day he thought about how he hadn't been there for his daughter's birthday. He wondered if she thought that her father had abandoned her? He wondered if she was alive at all.

"And what if Nik finds out?" Rebekah asked in a worried tone. The torture that he inflicted upon the people that disobeyed him was painful and eternal.

"He gave us two weeks to be free." Elijah reminded. "What we do with those weeks should be no concern of his."

Damon's smirk stretched from one ear to the other as he listened to his plan. They had superhuman speed and they would be able to search the country fast enough to be back in time, not to mention their enhanced senses would help them find their loved ones. He was done taking orders. It was time to take back control over his life.

"Count me in."

_**'When I'm Alone, It's Like I'm Staring Into A Mirror,**_

_**I Don't Know The Person Inside It, That's Never Been Any Clearer.'**_

Bonnie had decided to take a walk around the grounds today instead of heading right back to her shelter. She immediately regretted her decision. The sight of people suffering caused her to feel immense guilt. All that she wanted to do was find some way to brighten up their lives, to give them more than they had, but no one had anything to give.

She saw children suffering from illness that would ultimately die and she wanted to give them medicine, but she had none. She saw people sleeping out in the cold, their skin tinted blue, and she had no blankets to offer them. It made her feel selfish that she had blankets to keep her daughter and herself warm, but she couldn't give them away. She wished that she could.

One family in particular stood out to her.

It was just a mother and a daughter and she could have sworn that she recognized them.

_'That can't possibly be them...' _Bonnie told herself as she headed toward the two of them. As she got closer she realized that it was them. It was Hayley and Elizabeth from Damon's memorial. They were sleeping on the ground in the freezing cold, her daughter clinging to her body for warmth, both shivering. She felt her heart break for them. She knew that Hayley had lost her husband in the explosion, she had been forced to raise her daughter alone, and she had already lost so much.

She couldn't handle the sight. There was plenty of room, back in the pipe that she had been sleeping in, for two more people.

As she reached the two of them, she knelt down beside their sleeping forms. "Hey." She whispered, trying not to scare either of them.

Brown eyes fluttered open and Hayley furrowed her brow in confusion as she stared up at the woman. Her first inclination was to scream, but then she realized that she recognized her. She was at Elijah's memorial with her husband and daughter. "Uh, hi?" She asked, pushing herself into a seated position, Elizabeth now waking up.

"You might not recognize me, but I was at the memorial for the Original Corp victims." Bonnie reminded, in case the other woman didn't remember who she was. She could see it in her eyes though. She remembered her.

"Yeah, I know." Hayley said with a small smile. She hadn't met anyone in Precinct 31 that she recognized and even if Bonnie was practically a stranger it was nice to see a familiar face. "I remember, you were there with your daughter and husband." She watched as the girl visibly flinched at the word husband and she wondered what had happened between the two of them.

"Mommy, I'm hungry." Elizabeth cried out, holding onto her stomach.

"I'm sorry sweetie, we don't have any food. We'll have to go and get some a little later."

"I just went and got some actually." Bonnie said with a smile as she reached into the pockets of her jacket, pulling out a handful of berries. Elizabeth eagerly sat up and started to take some of the berries from her hand, stuffing them into her mouth. It was evident that she hadn't eaten much. Both of them looked to have lost weight since the last time Bonnie had seen them.

"What do you say, Elizabeth?" Hayley scolded.

"Thank you!"

"It's no problem at all." Bonnie insisted. "Actually, we have a pretty good shelter on the other side of the Precinct. Four of us live there now, but there is plenty of room for two more."

"I wouldn't want to impose." She quickly declined. She felt like she would be a burden on Bonnie and the other people that lived with her if she and her daughter moved in with them.

"You wouldn't be imposing at all!" She smiled brightly, green eyes shimmering happily. "We have plenty of room and food, and you could always help us gather water and supplies."

"Are you sure?"

"I insist."

_**'Don't Go Thinking This Was A Waste Of Time,**_

_**I Couldn't Forget You If I Tried.'**_

* * *

**Author's Note :**

**Thank you all so much for supporting this fic! I decided to add another chapter because it has been a while, I hope that y'all like it! The next chapter will FINALLY have Bamon and Haylijah reunited! Are y'all excited for it!? Please tell me what you thought of this chapter? What about Marcel and his attempts back into her life? What about Damon/Elijah/Bekah's plan? Do y'all like that Hayley and Bonnie will be living together now? :)) What would y'all like to see!?**

**Thank you so much for sticking with me! I love you guys!**

**-Tracy Cook-**


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